


Charmed

by idiotwithacatpen



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, I probably should have mentioned that earlier, Multi, School for Good and Evil AU, Team STRQ Era, and clover is good, and i still don't know how to tag, anyway, anyway the title fits the theme ok, pretty much, qrow is evil, raven is definitely evil though, this is my apology for chapter 12 of bewitched, you don't actually have to read it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 70,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23122585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idiotwithacatpen/pseuds/idiotwithacatpen
Summary: In the Endless Woods, children dream of attending the School for Good and Evil, where only the best train to be the best heroes or villains they can be. After their third year of study, they're assigned quests and sent out into the Endless Woods to follow them. If they're lucky, the Storian, a magical pen, will choose their story to write and send all over the Endless Woods.Qrow hails from a long line of villains who all attended the School for Evil, so it makes sense that he and Raven are chosen to attend it too. They have a goal in mind from the minute they step into the school: to be the best villains the world has ever seen, therefore breaking Evil's two hundred year losing streak. The best part? They plan on doing it together.Clover hails from a line of heroes too, if you count his grandfather, who was a fisherman in Aesop's Fables. Okay, so maybe he's no Prince Charming, (except to Qrow... but that's another story) but at least he made it here.Every prince has his princess, and villains never find love. That's the way it works, and the way it always will work. Except it's not a princess that Clover wants, and Qrow does end up finding love after all.
Relationships: Clover Ebi & Robyn Hill, Qrow Branwen & Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen & Raven Branwen, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Robyn Hill/Fiona Thyme, Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long
Comments: 578
Kudos: 171





	1. The Welcoming

_In the forest primeval  
A school for good and evil  
Two towers like twin heads  
One for the pure  
One for the wicked  
Try to escape you’ll always fail  
The only way out is  
Through a fairy tale_

Dark clouds drift lazily over a lake, covering half of its waters in shadow. Next to them, pink mist swirls in a flurry of sweet scents, turning the water under it into bright, shimmering waves. Down the center of the lake, a line divides the shining water with the darkened, murky swamp under the dark clouds. Occasionally, the clouds shift to reveal flashes of black spires and reddened windows, while the mist thins enough for a glimpse of white rooftops and shining lights.

When the clouds and mist move at the same time, they reveal a tall spire in the center of the lake behind a long bridge connecting the two castles. Although it’s lower than the highest peaks of the two opposite buildings, it seems to tower over both of them.

A skeletal bird cuts across the black clouds, jaws opening in a screech that shouldn’t be possible without flesh. It turns to the two people riding on its back, and although there are no eyes in its skull, it manages to glare at them, the hostility in its soulless gaze obvious. The bird rattles the two black trunks in its talons as if threatening to drop them.

The boy on its back frowns, studying the bird as its bony wings flap. “Uh, Rae?” Qrow calls to his sister over the wind as he moves from his sitting position into a crouch. He squints, trying to catch a glimpse of the building hidden by clouds. “I’m not sure this stymph’s going to tolerate us much longer.”

“Observant of you,” Raven drawls, slowly standing up on the ribcage of the stymph. At first, she holds her arms out for balance, but she lowers them once she’s fully straightened. “It doesn’t need to. We’re almost there.”

As she speaks, the stymph dips down, revealing a black castle rising so high its top spire nearly touches the clouds. Raven and Qrow exchange a look of pure delight as Qrow stands up. The stymph flies as jerkily as it can, but neither of them seem bothered as they continue to balance with apparent ease. The two are so focused on the black castle that they ignore its twin to its, white and gold and gleaming.

Qrow’s red eyes drift down to the moat of dark sludge around the black palace. “We’re not entering the School for Evil through a swamp.”

“Agreed,” Raven nods, but she doesn’t look at him, instead keeping her eyes fixed on the sludge. “Walking into that castle covered in swamp slime doesn’t make much of an impression.”

“What’s our landing strategy?”

“I have one,” Raven smirks.

Hearing the mischievous hint in her voice, Qrow spins, but it’s too late. With a laugh, Raven drop kicks him off of the stymph. Qrow falls with his arms crossed, giving her an unimpressed frown. He seems utterly relaxed as he drops through the air over the solid land, hurtling back-first towards a very hard landing.

Seconds before he lands, Raven leaps after him, her arms rising in the wind. Villains don’t twirl, but she does spin with one arm in a straight line. Her fingers seem to cut a hole through the air as a red portal appears around her. It swallows her up in an instant and reappears next to Qrow. She keeps one foot hooked in the portal as she swings down and catches Qrow’s hand with his feet an inch from the ground before flipping down herself.

Both of them land smoothly in front of the black castle and suppress their smirks. Around them, other people drop straight into the moat, emerging covered in black sludge. They start swimming towards the castle immediately, but it’s in no way impressive. Qrow and Raven catch some awed looks from the approaching students as their trunks land through another of Raven’s portals beside them.

Raven turns to Qrow and jerks a thumb towards the castle. “You first.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Qrow scoffs. “You never let me lead.” He stalks towards the gates, dragging his trunk behind him. Raven snorts and hurries after them so that by the time they walk past the gates, they’re side by side.

Qrow glances up at the iron spike gates, admiring the vipers slithering across them. His gaze slowly travels up to the words above the gates, a black swan on either side.

THE SCHOOL FOR EVIL EDIFICATION AND PROPAGATION OF SIN

Raven nudges him, making him speed up as they enter a tunnel of jagged stones that gets smaller and smaller as they go on. At the end, it’s so tight that they have to squeeze through the gap and into the school.

They’re greeted by an imposing line of teachers, a woman in a purple dress staring them down in front of the others. Behind her, the rest of the teachers mutter to each other- something about the lack of swamp muck on them. She gives them a short, curt nod and turns to walk away. The rest of the teachers follow her, black robes and red dresses swishing as they let wolves take their place.

Two wolves approach them, carrying identical bundles. They each drop one into Qrow and Raven’s hands and walk away to wait for the others.

Qrow rips the live eel binding his package off and offers it to Raven. She shakes her head and wrinkles her nose in disgust, tossing her own eel over her shoulder. It smacks a boy with a long braid in the face. Qrow throws his aside, but a dark-haired girl snatches it off the floor and swallows it whole.

They ignore the new arrivals and focus on their bundles. Turning to each other at the same time, the twins each hold up their new black uniforms. Both are equally dumpy, but Qrow and Raven grin all the same.

“How much time before the Welcoming do we have to fix these?” Raven asks.

“An hour, maybe more,” Qrow shrugs. “Mother said that the Everboys show up later so they can make their dramatic entrance.”

Raven and Qrow roll their eyes together. “ _Everboys_ ,” they groan in unison.

“Pretentious,” Qrow says.

“Obnoxious,” Raven continues.

“Airheaded.”

“Shallow.”

“Self-obsessed.”

Finally, Raven waves a hand. “That’s enough. We’re going to be stuck with them for three years whether we like it or not, so we shouldn’t get sick of them on the first day.”

“Fine,” Qrow grumbles. “We should probably go fix these.” He holds up his uniform.

“Give me yours. I’m better at this than you,” Raven demands, holding out a hand. “I’ll meet up with you later.”

Qrow hands the uniform to her and watches her leave. Right before Raven gets to the first step, he calls out, “Rae, wait!”

She spins around. “What is it?”

“Your schedule.”

Raven yanks a piece of parchment out of her bundle, revealing a stack of books underneath. “Henchmen Training, Special Talents, Uglification, lunch… a free period? I thought that- oh, never mind. It’s because the Evers have a new gender equality mission.” She stops to snort, casting a disapproving glance at where the white castle would be.

“Evers and their gender roles,” Qrow replies, shaking his head. “What else?”

“Curses and Death Traps, History of Villainy, and Surviving Fairy Tales, Forest Group Five,” Raven finishes. “You?”

Qrow studies his own schedule for a moment. “Same thing.”

Raven nods. “Good.” She turns away and starts climbing the stairs. “I’ll see you at the Welcoming.”

Once she’s disappeared in the dark halls, Qrow steps to the side to let the slime-covered children walk by him. He checks his schedule again, reading the words under his name. “Mischief thirteen,” he mutters. “What a coincidence.”

He glances around at the people that are now parading into Evil and receiving their bundle of books, trying to figure out which ones he’d be okay with having as his roommates. When the answer turns out to be none of them, he sighs and turns to climb the stairs to Mischief Tower.

His gaze travels to stare out the nearest window, where he can see the white castle across the lake. The School for Good, home of the Evers- people with pure souls and hearts and probably blonde hair. Qrow’s never really cared much for their main goal- living happily ever after.

Qrow turns to look at the five pillars in the foyer and the letters carved on them. N-E-V-E-R. Nevermore. The word is a fleeting thought, but this one is more important to him. His very own paradise at the end of his fairy tale.

Without another glance at the School for Good, Qrow sets off to get ready for the Welcoming.

-

Clover holds onto the vines of the Flowerground for dear life, trying not to sneeze. He remembers the page of the handbook in his trunk with the rules of the Flowerground all too well. For whatever reason, the Flowerground’s punishment for violations of their rules is simple and brutal. _Violators will have all their clothes removed._

His ears are still ringing from the violent string of curses Robyn let out when she read the sentence in the handbook, seconds before the Flowerground arrived for her. Luckily, she’d managed to quickly shut up before the Flowerground punished her for violating their swearing rule.

Right before Clover can sneeze, the Flowerground stops. He feels the vines release him and push him up.

Clover bursts out of the ground, feeling like an overgrown flower. He watches in wonder as boys appear all around him, brushing off their clothes. Clover stares at velvet and gold and can’t help but feel slightly underdressed.

His mahogany trunk surfaces next to him, and Clover rushes to it, checking for scratches. The trunk alone ate up his entire life’s savings to the point where Robyn had to get the rest of the supply list for him. He didn’t ask where she got it, but he has a feeling she didn’t pay for anything. Thank the gods they didn’t have to pay for their own uniform- he wouldn’t have made it here.

Someone taps his shoulder, and Clover spins to see a small fairy hovering next to him. It starts pushing him along towards the golden gates in front of him with surprising strength. He looks up at the white swans next to the gate and the words above them.

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD ENLIGHTENMENT AND ENCHANTMENT

When he’d gotten the Admissions Package, he’d hardly believed his luck. He and his father had stared at the twin-swan crest for far too long until Robyn nearly kicked the door down, waving an identical acceptance letter. It was nothing short of a miracle that they had both gotten in- peasants among princes and princesses, but still with a place here just like them.

Starting to walk on his own, Clover steps into the end of the line so he can admire the white castle for as long as possible. He’s heard about this before from his grandfather’s descriptions, but words can’t completely describe the sheer beauty of the castle. He’s so focused on the castle that he barely notices the person slipping behind him. Still, Clover sends him a quick glance and finds a boy, shaking and dripping wet, with no trunk. He almost assumes that he lost his trunk in the lake before he remembers the stories about the enchanted wave.

Finally, Clover is forced to step into the School for Good. The fairies herd them down a corridor made entirely of mirrors where he’s all too aware that the Everboys are staring at him.

“Lucky me,” Clover mutters as they step into a larger room.

Tall nymphs with long, flowing hair swarm him in an instant, one pressing books into his hands before another takes their place to hand him a schedule. The last one gives him his uniform, and he gapes down at it for a solid ten seconds. The jacket alone has to cost more than his life.

Clover checks his schedule next, carefully placing it on top of the jacket.

_Clover Ebi of Jaunt Jolie  
Good, 1st Year  
Honor Tower 38  
Session- Faculty  
Chivalry & Grooming- Prof. Aleksandar Lukas  
History of Heroism- Prof. August Sader  
Swordplay & Weapons Training- Prof. Rumi Espada  
Lunch  
Animal Communication- Princess Uma  
Good Deeds- Prof. Clarissa Dovey  
Physical Education- Albemarle  
Surviving Fairy Tales (Forest Group #5)- Rainne the Nymph_

In front of him, he sees four staircases, two pink and two blue. The pink ones are labeled PURITY and CHARITY, while the blue staircases are marked HONOR and VALOR. Above them, bright golden letters spell out E-V-E-R. Ever after.

A man dressed in deep blue clears his throat, and the chatter in the room dies instantly. “Everboys, the Welcoming ceremony will start soon. Please get changed into your uniforms and meet back here in fifteen minutes.”

Clover takes the opportunity to slip up the Honor staircase the second he’s done speaking, dragging his trunk behind him. He hurries through the halls, scanning the door numbers until he finds Honor 38.

Just as Clover finishes changing and moves to leave, the door opens again to reveal a boy he saw earlier, already in his uniform. Neither of them says anything for a second before the Everboy clears his throat and offers his hand to shake. “I’m James Ironwood.”

“Clover.” Shaking his hand, Clover steps aside to let him in. “You don’t know who our third roommate is, do you?”

James sighs. “I heard from Professor Dovey that he’s not coming. Something about an accident.” He pulls his trunk into the room, leaving it next to one of the three beds.

“Oh well,” Clover sighs. Technically, Evil has the advantage now, but having one more student won’t win the Trial by Tale. He glances down the hallway to see groups of Everboys heading back down the staircase. “Are you ready to go?”

Nodding, James follows him down to where the same professor is waiting for them. They stand in tense silence for a few minutes before all sixty Everboys make it downstairs in their uniforms.

“Good morning, everyone,” says the professor. “I’m Professor Aleksander Lukas, and I teach Chivalry & Grooming. The Welcoming is in the Theater of Tales, where we will meet Professor Espada to get your training swords and make your grand entrance.”

 _I didn’t hear anything about a grand entrance_ , Clover thinks to himself before James taps him, jolting him into motion. They follow Professor Lukas up stairs and through hallways until they make it to two tall, gleaming doors.

A second professor makes his way through the rows of Everboys, handing them each a training sword, a sheath, and a rose. Clover copies the Everboys expertly attaching the sheath to their belts before he looks at his rose. It doesn’t look like the best of the bunch with its slightly blackening petals, but he’s not complaining.

Clover sends James a puzzled glance, hoping for an explanation. His roommate doesn’t return it, tucking the rose into his jacket. Hastily, Clover does the same.

“In a few moments, you will enter through these doors,” Professor Lukas says once Professor Espada has finished handing out the swords. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, you’ve also been handed a rose. Upon entering the Theater of Tales, you should all shout ‘milady’ and toss your rose to the girl who catches your eye.”

“That doesn’t sound too hard,” Clover mutters to himself.

Professor Lukas puts a hand on the door. “Stay in your lines!”

He pushes open the door, and without being cued, the Everboys in the front start marching forward, their boots slamming the floor in an even rhythm. Clover does his best to match it, following them into the Theater of Tales.

Only when the Everboys all pull out their roses does Clover realize the main issue with Professor Lukas’s instruction. As he looks out towards the crowd of Evergirls gaping at the Everboys and the Nevers behind them, his gaze sweeps over the girls and lingers on the boys for just a little too long.

Clover’s eyes land on Robyn, who’s sitting next to a girl in a white hood and another with what seems to be tiger stripes on her arms, and relief surges through him. He’ll just toss his rose to Robyn, and that’ll be that.

The world seems to slow down as Clover tries to figure out how hard he’s supposed to throw a rose. His eyes flit to the others, who don’t seem to be overthinking like he is, and back to the benches and benches of Evergirls. He looks past them to the Nevers, who jeer and scowl and hiss from their seats. They’re a miserable bunch- slouching and twitching and clawing like they think it’s intimidating. It is, but not enough for Clover to care.

But then his gaze turns to them.

Two red-eyed Nevers stare at the Everboys, arms crossed, eyes lit with malice and contempt. The others give them a wide berth, and Clover can understand why. Despite the fearsome appearances of the other Nevers, these two seem like the most dangerous with their knife-sharp stares. Even their clothes are different- although they’re the same dumpy black material, they’ve already given them a shape and some red accents. Clover suppresses a shiver as he pulls out his rose.

The Everboys toss their roses with a shout of “Milady!” and watch them fall, Clover’s rose following a second later. Clover watches as the girl in the white hood catches one from a blond boy in front of him and the tiger-striped girl snatches two out of the air.

Clover’s rose soars in slow motion to Robyn, who smirks at him and raises a hand to catch it. He prays that she will, but considering his luck and her fast reflexes, there’s no chance that-

The rose flies just over her outstretched fingers and smacks one of the two red-eyed Nevers in the face.

“I thought I was supposed to be lucky,” Clover whispers to himself. Robyn whirls, her mouth open, to look at the Never, whose hand shoots up to his forehead.

His red eyes seeming to glow, the Never fixes the Everboys with a harsh glare. Even though it’s not completely directed at Clover, he almost freezes in his place as the boys parade into the seats. The Never lowers his hand, and he can see the thin line of blood across his pale forehead.

Clover takes his seat next to Robyn, which feels like a crime considering that the Never is just across the divide between the Ever and Never benches. The Never turns back to who must be his twin sister while Robyn tries not to laugh.

“I cannot believe you did that,” Robyn snorts, a hand half-covering her mouth.

“It was an accident,” Clover protests, resisting the urge to throw his hands in the air. “And don’t talk so loudly, or he’ll hear you and murder me.”

“If he managed to get hit in the face with that, I don’t think you have to worry-”

“EVERYONE SHUT UP OR I’LL EAT YOU,” someone howls.

Evers and Nevers alike spin to look at the silver stage, where a huge two-headed dog paces, easily stepping over the crack in the stage’s center. One head snarls at them, clearly the one who spoke, while the other looks mildly affronted by the behavior of the other head.

Silence fills the Theater of Tales until the nicer head speaks up. “Welcome to the School for Good and Evil,” he says, voice like a song. “I’m Pollux, your Welcoming Leader.”

“AND I’M CASTOR, WELCOMING LEADER ASSISTANT AND EXECUTIVE EXECUTIONER OF PUNISHMENT FOR ANYONE WHO BREAKS RULES OR ACTS LIKE A DONKEY,” the other one snaps.

Robyn claps her hands over her ears. “Does that head have no concept of an inside voice?” She hisses to Clover, but he’s too busy staring at the dog to respond. A quick glance around tells her that she’s not the only one surprised by the dog’s voice- both the Evers and Nevers are cowering in their seats. The only ones who remain calm and collected are, of course, the twins.

“Thank you, Castor,” says Pollux, giving the Evers an apologetic look. “So let me first remind you why it is you’re here. All children are born with souls that are either Good or Evil. Some souls are purer than others-”

“AND SOME SOULS ARE CRAP,” Castor interrupts.

“As I was saying, some souls are purer than others, but all souls are fundamentally Good or Evil. Those who are Evil cannot make their souls Good, and those who are Good cannot make their souls Evil. Many have tried, and all have failed.”

“SO JUST ‘CAUSE GOOD IS WINNING EVERYTHING DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN SWITCH SIDES.”

The Evers start cheering, while the Nevers scream above them. They’re finally silenced by wolves dumping water buckets on the loudest Evers, while fairies drop glitter on the Nevers.

“Once again,” Pollux says, looking agitated, “those who are Evil cannot be Good and those who are Good cannot be Evil…”

Clover and Robyn turn to each other. Robyn rolls her eyes, raises a hand, and uses it as a puppet to imitate Pollux as he rambles on. Behind her, Clover sees the Never he hit with his rose smirk as Robyn continues to mock the dog.

“AND IF YOU FAIL, THEN SOMETHING SO BAD WILL HAPPEN TO YOU THAT I CAN’T SAY, BUT IT INVOLVES YOU NEVER BEING SEEN AGAIN!” Castor screeches so loud that Robyn jumps and drops her hand into her lap.

“One more and it’s the muzzle!” Pollux snaps at Castor, whose jaws close. He looks back at the students and smiles. “None of these brilliant students will fail, I’m sure.”

The children are relieved until Castor mutters, “You say time and then someone fails.”

Pollux sighs. “Every child in the Endless Woods dreams of being picked to attend our school. But School Master Ozpin chose you. For he looked into your hearts and saw something very rare. Pure Good and Pure Evil. Remember, you have been chosen to protect the balance between Good and Evil. For once that balance is compromised… our world will perish.”

Nervous glances start being exchanged between the Evers and Nevers, but Pollux doesn’t miss them. Keeping his tone soft, he says, “Students, all of you have only one concern here. Do the best work you can. The finest of you will become princes and warlocks, knights and witches, queens and sorcerers-”

“OR A TROLL OR A PIG IF YOU STINK!”

Clover didn’t flinch. He knew what would happen if he graduated in the bottom third of his class- Mogrification. Not a terrible fate, but Clover would prefer not to be Mogrified into an animal or tree.

Pollux glares at his other head from the corner of his eye. “So if there are no further interruptions, let’s review the rules.”

-

“Your first year will consist of required courses to prepare you for three major tests: the Trial by Tale, the Circus of Talents, and the Snow Ball,” Castor drones. “After the first year, you’ll be divided into three tracks: one for villain and hero Leaders, one for henchmen and helper Followers, and one for Mogrifs, or those who are going to become animals. Or trees, if you’re that useless.”

“For the next two years, Leaders will train to fight their future Nemeses.” Pollux takes over in an instant. “Followers will develop skills to defend their future Leaders. Mogrifs will learn to adapt to their new forms and survive in the treacherous Woods. Finally, after the third year, Leaders will be paired with Followers and Mogrifs and you will all move into the Endless Woods to begin your journeys in the hopes that the Storian chooses to write your fairy tale.”

Robyn shoots Clover an excited look. “The Storian!” She hisses it louder than necessary, bouncing in her seat.

“Do you really think _we’ll_ get chosen over, well…” Clover gestures to the princesses and princes in the rows around them. The girl in the white hood frowns a little, but says nothing.

“Hey, the Storian is magic. It doesn’t have bias like the rest of the world.”

“Yeah, that’s why Good’s won the last two hundred years.”

“You’re in Good, so don’t be ungrateful,” Robyn retorts. She starts to say something else, but Pollux clears his throat and gives them a disdainful glare.

“Like I said, we do not give ‘marks’ here at the School for Good and Evil. Instead, for every test or challenge, you will be ranked within your classes so you will know exactly where you stand. There are twenty students in each class. After each challenge, you will be ranked from one to twenty. If you are consistently ranked in the top five or your group, you will end up as a Leader. A consistent mediocre score will result in you being tracked as a Follower, while a constant low score will result in the Mogrif track.”

“I must add that anyone who receives three twenty rankings in a row will be failed,” Pollux says, his tone becoming more grave. “As I said, given the exceptional incompetence required to earn three straight last-place ranks, I am confident this rule will not apply to any of you.”

“You each have a swan crest over your heart,” Castor growls. “Any attempt to conceal or remove it will probably end up injuring or embarrassing you. If you keep trying to cover it, it might stick itself to your skin, and not in a place you prefer. So don’t bother.”

“Furthermore, as Good won the Circus of Talents last year, the Theater of Tales will be located here and Nevers will have to be escorted here for all joint school functions,” said Pollux. “Besides this exception, you must remain in your school at all times.”

“Groom and Doom Rooms,” Castor mutters to Pollux.

Pollux nods. “For the Evers, Groom Rooms are available to Evers ranked in the top half of their class on any given day. Rankings will be posted on the Groom Room doors and throughout the castle. Please do not abuse Albemarle if he’s behind on posting them. Meanwhile, Nevers have Doom Rooms. Should your actions warrant it, any teacher has the authority to send you to the Doom Room, where you will be tortured and punished until we are satisfied that you have learned your lesson.”

“Class Captains,” Castor barks when he finishes. “After the Trial by Tale, the top-ranked two students in each school will be named Class Captain. These two students will have special privileges, including private study with select faculty, field trips into the Endless Woods, and the chance to train with renowned heroes and villains. As you know, our Captains have gone on to be some of the greatest legends in the Endless Woods.”

“This year, Evers have seven required classes exclusive to their schools, while Nevers have six. This is because of the recent push for gender equality in Good- so I am pleased to inform you that boys will now also attend Animal Communication, while girls will also attend Swordplay & Weapons Training. The Nevers, on the other hand, get a free period.” Pollux pauses for breath before continuing, “The last class, Surviving Fairy Tales, will include both Good and Evil and takes place in the Blue Forest behind the schools.”

“Breakfast and supper will take place in your school supper halls, but you’ll all eat lunch together in the Clearing,” Castor grunted. “That is, if you’re mature enough to handle the privilege.”

“The Endless Woods beyond the school gates are barred to first-year students. And though that rule may fall on deaf ears for the most adventurous of you, let me remind you of the most important rule of all. One that will cost you your lives if you fail to obey.” Pollux opens his mouth to deliver the rule-

“NEVER GO INTO THE WOODS AFTER DARK,” Castor shouts.

Pollux only sighs and looks at the assembled students. “You may return to your schools! Supper is at seven o’clock sharp!”

The Nevers leap up, maybe because they’re eager to get away from the clouds of perfume that are nearly visible from all of the Evergirls. Clover can’t blame them.

Robyn elbows him, but not hard. “Ready to go?”

“In a minute,” Clover replies, his gaze settling on the red-eyed Never as he and his sister stand and start stalking out.

“Clover, this is no time to stare at that Nevergirl.”

“What?” Clover glances at her. “I’m not- ugh, never mind. I just was thinking… should I apologize for hitting that Never in the face?”

“Didn’t you say he would kill you if he found out?” Robyn asks skeptically. “It doesn’t sound like a good idea. It’s the Good that forgive, not the Evil.”

Clover sighs. “Yeah, but I feel bad.”

“You’ll feel worse when he eviscerates you, I promise.” Robyn starts pulling at his arm, trying to drag him along. “Come on, everyone else is nearly out and the teachers are starting to stare.”

Reluctantly, Clover stands up and follows her to the doors. He sends a final glance at the red-eyed Neverboy as he disappears through his side’s entrance to the Theater of Tales. “Next time,” he mutters, and follows Robyn out.


	2. Everyone Hates Gender Roles

Clover sighs as he stares at his class schedule, shaking his head. “They lecture us for thirty minutes about school rules and being late to class,” he mutters. “But do they give us a map?”

“Hey, do you know where Chivalry & Grooming is?”

Looking up, Clover sees a blond boy in front of him, holding his schedule like it’s a lifeline. “Actually, I’ve been trying to figure out where that is.”

“We could search together,” the boy offers.

“That would be great,” Clover replies, relieved. “I’m Clover.”

“I’m Taiyang, but you can call me Tai,” he says. They shake hands and turn towards the streams of Evers rushing to their first classes. “I think it might be in the candy classrooms.”

“You think, or you hope?” They laugh, and Tai has the decency to look slightly ashamed. Still, they have enough time before the class, so he and Tai head back up Honor Tower to check the candy classrooms.

It only takes one flight of stairs before everything in their path turns to candy, including the walls. Clover would be tempted to take some if there wasn’t a giant sign on the corridor wall in bright gumdrops:

TEMPTATION IS THE PATH TO EVIL

“Oh, so being hungry is the path to Evil now,” Tai grumbles as he passes it. “Wonderful.”

The first classroom is definitely not theirs, as a large group of Evergirls are already rushing into it. Clover waves to Robyn, who trudges behind the crowd. She turns and mouths kill me before stepping into the classroom. 

When they reach the second classroom, Clover peeks inside. He doesn’t see anyone in front of the sweets that make up the back wall, so he steps away from the door and turns to tell Tai that they should keep searching.

“You’re early,” says Professor Lukas, breezing past them. “But do come in.”

Tai and Clover walk slowly into the classroom, neither of them saying a word as they take a seat on what looks like sofas made out of marshmallows. For a second, Clover worries about getting marshmallow on his priceless jacket before he remembers that this is the School for Good- they wouldn’t let that happen.

Slowly, more and more people file in. James turns up with a white-haired boy following him. At first, Clover assumes they’re friends, but the glares that they keep shooting each other are definitely not friendly. James sits next to him, but the other boy makes sure he sits far away.

Just as the first class is supposed to start, the last boy stumbles in, looking up at Lukas with wide, frightened eyes. Lukas raises an eyebrow, but says nothing as he sits down.

“That should be everyone, then,” Professor Lukas says once the boy has squished next to the white-haired Ever. “I’ll do attendance just in case someone got lost.”

Clover sits up straighter and looks around, ready to try to memorize names and faces as quickly as possible.

“Clover Ebi?”

“Here.”

“Jacques Gelé?”

“Present, sir.”

“James Ironwood?”

“Here.”

After the next few names, Clover’s brain short-circuits and he’s forced to give up. Still, he thinks he knows enough people. For now.

Finally, Professor Lukas finishes attendance and leans against his desk. “Well, then. Time for the first lesson.” The boys lean closer, curious as to what his lesson is. “Most teachers would start with something basic, but I’d prefer to just jump right in. Which is why we’ll be starting with Sewing for Boys.”

“Is he serious?” Tai mutters to Clover.

“Apparently.”

“Now, you may consider this to be women’s work-”

“That’s because it _is_ women’s work,” Jacques Gelé snorts, leaning back on his sofa.

Professor Lukas sighs. “That’s enough, Jacques. As I was saying, while you may consider this to be women’s work, you will not always have a woman by your side. Not to mention the school’s new goal of gender equality. So, I’ll pass out some scrap material, thread and needles and then demonstrate for you. Please don’t start swordfighting with the needles- they’re sharper than you think.”

The boys start passing the supplies to each other as if they’re cursed objects, and Tai and Clover exchange a glance as they take theirs. Even though Professor Lukas told them not to, the boys start smacking each other with their needles while they wait.

“First, thread the needle like this,” Professor Lukas says, holding up a needle and thread. He demonstrates excruciatingly slowly while Tai and Clover easily thread theirs. “Then you just poke it in like so… try to keep your stitches even… don’t worry if the thread slips out the other end, we’re not doing that yet…”

Tai rolls his eyes. So does Clover. They tie their knots at the end of the string and start their stitches across the scrap while the other boys struggle to thread their needles.

“There’s no way that this can be so hard for them,” Tai whispers.

“I would think so, but I doubt anyone would stab themselves five times on purpose,” Clover replies, casting a glance at Leonardo, the boy who nearly came in late. 

Before Tai can reply, Ironwood turns to Clover. “How are you so good at that?” He demands, looking down at his three clumsy stitches.

“Have you never repaired your own clothes before?” Clover responds incredulously, pausing in his multiple rows of stitches. 

Ironwood shakes his head. “Of course not. I’m nobility, for heaven’s sake. We don’t do this kind of work.”

“There you go,” Clover sighs. He resists the urge to give Ironwood a look dripping with disdain as he turns back to Tai. “These people…”

“I’m assuming you’re not a prince, then?”

“Definitely not.”

“Are you a Reader?”

Clover shakes his head. “If I had to guess, Leonardo’s the Reader. I didn’t see him with a trunk, and he looks petrified. He barely knew what was going on during the Welcoming.”

Tai nods. “Where are you from, then?”

“Jaunt Jolie,” Clover responds, starting to sew again. “My grandfather is one of the _famous_ characters from Aesop’s Fables.”

Snorting, Tai says, “I’m from Altazarra.”

“The place with the unicorns?”

“That’s the one. It’s a shame I’m not from Jaunt Jolie. I might get into the great literary work known as Aesop’s Fables.”

Clover doesn’t know a lot about the other characters of Aesop’s Fables, but he does know that they had a rather boring class. The Storian, almighty pen that it was, had decided to write Aesop’s Fables. Clover’s grandfather had barely received a line in it- something about a fish jumping into his boat- but it was their family’s greatest achievement all the same. For anyone else, though, all of the stories in the book are just reminders not to be boring if the Storian chooses to write your story.

“Excellent work, boys,” Professor Lukas says, bending down to look at their scraps of fabric. “Have you sewn before?”

“We had to repair our own clothes,” Tai says flatly. “Not all of us can be rich princes.”

“Of course,” Professor Lukas nods. “Don’t forget that not being a prince doesn’t make you any less of an Ever. You could certainly surpass them with enough work.”

Clover and Tai nod appreciatively until Professor Lukas leaves. “That kind of implies that he considers us behind them, doesn’t it?” Clover mutters.

“Probably.”

They don’t get the chance to continue their conversation as Jacques starts whining loudly about sewing not being a job for someone like him. He pricks his finger in the middle of his rant, adding to his complaints.

Finally, James turns to Jacques. “For the good of everyone in this room… shut up.”

Jacques shuts his mouth, to everyone’s extreme relief. Professor Lukas even gives James a grateful pat on the back.

“You know, I heard that he punched Jacques the second he saw him,” Tai says to Clover. “I think they knew each other before this.”

Clover’s respect for James increases exponentially as he raises an eyebrow and glances at his roommate. “Really? You’d think they’d be against that sort of thing.”

“As long as they don’t see it, anyone can do anything,” Tai shrugs. “The teachers were in the school anyway, so-”

Numbers appear in the air over their heads in beautiful golden clouds. Clover looks up at a large 1 sparkling over his head, while Tai gets 2. They both turn to Jacques, who tries to stab the droopy-looking 20 over his head with his needle.

Professor Lukas collects their materials and practically shoos them out of the classroom after quick directions to their next classes. Clover and Taiyang head down the hall, ready to go to History of Heroism.

Clover catches a glimpse of a disgruntled Robyn exiting her classroom and says to Tai, “Sorry- be right back.” He hurries over to Robyn once Tai nods.

“Oh my gods,” Robyn nearly screeches the second she sees him. “We were practicing smiling the entire class. My cheeks are still twitching.”

“We were sewing,” Clover replies in a tone that’s only slightly calmer. “Sewing, Robyn. You and I learned how to do that when we were _three_.”

“Well, did _your_ teacher tell you that you clearly weren’t a princess?”

“No, but he did imply that Tai and I aren’t good as princes,” Clover says.

The girl in the white hood he saw yesterday perks up as she steps out of the classroom. “Did you say Tai? Is he in your class?”

“He’s over there,” Clover says, pointing in the general direction of where he left Tai. The girl hurries off, her cloak sweeping behind her. “Who is she?” He asks Robyn once she leaves.

“Her name is Summer, and she’s from Altazarra. I swear that all she does is smile,” Robyn tells him.

“Altazarra? Tai’s from there too. Maybe they know each other.”

Robyn looks over his shoulder. “They definitely know each other.”

Clover follows her gaze to Tai and Summer, who are clearly having a similar discussion. He sees the light flush on their cheeks and sends Robyn a knowing look. “At least they won’t have any trouble finding a date for the Ball.”

“Don’t remind me of that,” Robyn groans. “Not to mention you’re being very presumptuous. What will you do if Evil wins?”

“Evil hasn’t won in two hundred years, Robyn.”

“You never know.”

“They’re not winning this time. Not when we’re on the team.” Clover flicks the little clover pin on his jacket and winks at Robyn, who only smiles and rolls her eyes, albeit fondly. Right after he does it, he checks to make sure the pin hasn’t fallen off. It’s the only personal thing he took with him (they had had to get the smallest size of Gillikin mahogany trunks).

“Not if everyone else gets failed because they don’t know how to sew,” Robyn grumbles.

“You’re going to get failed if you don’t stop evilly smirking at everyone.”

Robyn and Clover stop and stare at each other, occasionally sending a tired glance at the halls of candy and the perfect princes and princesses that roam them. In unison, they say, “This is going to be a long year.”

-

“This is going to be a long year,” Raven grouses as she and Qrow stalk through the halls, heading for Special Talents. “Castor first thing in the morning for an entire year? I’d rather die.”

“Weren’t you the one lecturing me on how pain makes villains stronger?”

“That was about _necessary_ pain in the Doom Room,” Raven replies. “This is Evil of the highest order.”

Qrow shrugs. “That’s what we’re going for, isn’t it?”

“I guess… but villains with headaches aren’t very menacing, are they?”

“That implies that you think you’re menacing in general, and you definitely aren’t.”

Raven stops walking to gesture to the Nevers walking around the hall, pressing themselves to the wall to skirt around them. “Not very menacing? These Nevers can’t even look me in the eye.”

“Rae, just because you terrify them doesn’t mean you can scare anyone with half a spine. Like me or the teachers. And maybe some of the stupidest Everboys.”

“The Everboys aren’t immune to a few glares, either,” Raven replies, waving a hand. “Did you see them at the Welcoming? There was a blond one that looked like he was going to bolt at any second.”

“And the Evergirls are all scared of any Never,” Qrow sighs. “Cinder passed by this Evergirl in a white hood and she almost passed out.”

“Cinder?” Raven snorts. “She’s got the menacing walk and the monologuing voice, I’ll give her that, but she’s so basic. I started talking to her for two seconds and she started mentioning power hunger and nefarious plans. Villains should have more self-respect than to sound so stupid.”

“Oh well. They can’t all be like us.”

“That’s a good thing, Qrow.”

They walk the rest of the way to Special Talents in silence, pretending they know where they’re supposed to be going. They’d heard descriptions from their parents, and that was all they were going to use- real villains never got lost.

Finally, Qrow and Raven make it to a moldy classroom already half-full with people. They take their seats at their desks in the back of the room and wait for class to start.

Once a few more Nevers find their way in, a woman in a red, pointy-shouldered gown bursts into the room. “Every villain has a talent!” She bellows. “But we must turn your bush into a tree! Only then will Evil finally win the Circus of Talents!”

Professor Sheeks walks to the front of the room and scans the students, her gaze resting on Raven and Qrow for a moment before continuing on. “I’ll do attendance, and then we’ll start the lesson.”

“Adam Taurus?”

“Here,” says a red-haired boy lounging a few rows in front of them. 

“Arthur Watts?”

“Present.” Qrow turns to look at Arthur and raises an eyebrow. Who has a mustache this young?

“Cinder Fall?”

“I’m here.”

“Hazel Rainart?”

Attendance continues. When Sheeks gets to Qrow, everyone turns. Cinder’s eyes scan side to side as if she’s contemplating something- probably how his name is supposed to be spelled.

“That’s everyone,” Professor Sheeks says once she finishes calling Vine Zeki. “Now, for this day’s challenge, each of you must show me a unique talent. The more potent the talent, the higher rank I will give you. We’ll start with… Cinder.”

Cinder stands, her eyes gleaming. She pulls out a small glass figurine and raises a hand, concentrating hard. Behind her, Professor Sheeks waits with her arms crossed, looking bored and unimpressed.

Slowly but surely, the glass of the figurine starts to melt. Professor Sheeks yawns pointedly until Cinder holds out a sharp glass dagger.

With surprising speed, Cinder throws the dagger at the wall. Qrow waits for it to shatter, but it lodges itself between the stone tiles. Humming her approval, Professor Sheeks points to Adam.

Adam gestures hopelessly. “I don’t have my sword-”

“Is that what you’re going to tell the School Master at the Circus of Talents?” Professor Sheeks demands before he can finish, her good mood gone in an instant. “That you don’t know your talent or you need a toy to perform your talent or that you want to switch talents with the Ooty Queen? This is why Nevers always lose the Circus of Talents- Good sings a song or waves a sword or wipes their bottom and you can do nothing better.”

Stunned, Adam slumps in his seat while Sheeks parades past him. She points to Hazel. He rips Cinder’s dagger out of the wall and stabs it into his arm, twisting it further into his skin impassively. The class waits with bated breath as he digs it deeper, waiting for him to wince or react to it in anyway.

“Stop, stop!” Professor Sheeks shrieks, rushing forward to rip the bloody dagger from his grasp. Her fingertip lights up, and she passes it over the wound, which starts to seal. 

Hazel sits back down once his arm has healed and is replaced by Arthur Watts, who clearly has no idea what his talent is. Raven and Qrow roll their eyes at each other as Tyrian touches a flower and it withers the slightest bit (Professor Sheeks moaned that that was a trick for pranking Evers, not for the Circus of Talents.

For Vine’s turn, he summons two yellow arms that are attached to his and uses them to grab things around the room. “Noodles,” Sheeks says dryly. “How extraordinarily terrifying.”

“Raven, your turn,” Sheeks says once Marrow freezes her in place for ten seconds. “Show us your talent. Hopefully it’s not as bad as the rest”

Raven stands up slowly and smirks at the rest of the class with what might be just a little too much confidence. She raises a hand and makes a slashing gesture in front of her, opening a red portal. Tyrian and Arthur scoot back as Raven steps through and reappears in its twin next to Qrow.

Sheeks looks faintly impressed until a portal opens under Tyrian. He falls through with a loud scream. Raven turns to the window and watches as he falls down, down, down outside.

At the last second, a portal opens and Tyrian is dumped in the center of the room, panting and shaking. When he looks up and sees Raven, he whimpers and scuttles away to hide by Cinder.

“Good,” says Professor Sheeks, a growing smile on her face. “Qrow?”

Not even bothering to stand or raise a hand, Qrow focuses. His vision turns slightly red as he prepares to unleash his talent.

“Lighting up your eyes,” Cinder sneers, playing with a second glass figurine of a snake. “A useful tal-”

The floor cracks, the entire room starting to shake. Books fall off shelves. Tyrian trips over his own feet. The sound of glass shattering comes from Cinder’s bag. Slowly, the assembled villains turn to look at Qrow in a mixture of surprise and terror.

Qrow lets the room shake harder, enjoying the expressions on his fellow Nevers’ faces. After a few seconds, he lets the power go with a final crack in the wall. 

No one says a word until Professor Sheeks asks hoarsely, “What exactly is your talent?”

“You’ll see,” Qrow responds. He meets Raven’s eyes and they both grin at each other, delighting in their teacher’s dumbfounded expression.

Black ranks appear over their heads. Qrow points to the flaming 1 over his head and sends a mocking smile to Raven, who frowns at her 3. Cinder has 2, all the way down to Arthur Watts with his stinking 20.

“Class dismissed,” Professor Sheeks says, sitting down at her desk without another word. Students start to file out, the ranks above their heads drifting out the window to the imposing tower in the center of the lake- Ozpin’s tower.

Cinder stalks by Qrow and Raven, glaring with so much fire that even the students who aren’t the twins flinch. On the other hand, Qrow and Raven just meet her gaze, something frightening in the coolness of their matching eyes.

Together, Qrow and Raven stand up. “Cinder thinks she’s so great,” Raven hisses, glowering at Cinder as she walks out the door.

“If you don’t study, you could end up being her Helper,” Qrow replies. “So you’d better get used to her.”

“Yes, Qrow. I’m going to be a Helper so I can be attached to a Lead Villain for the rest of my life. That’s exactly the plan.” Raven rolls her eyes as she gathers up her materials. “Let’s go to the Library of Vice. I’ve been thinking about Evil traps, and I think I have a plan.”

“An Evil trap so soon in the year?” Qrow asks, trudging after her. “And you think you have a specific plan _already?_ ”

“Not a specific plan. That’s what free periods are for, after all.” Raven leaves the classroom first and walks ahead for a few seconds before Qrow catches up. “So let’s not waste it. We only have a month until the Trial by Tale if we want to make it look like an accident.”

“You know, Raven, patience has its own reward.”

“If you quote Aesop’s fables one more time, I’ll rip out your tongue.”

“With your number three rank? Not likely.”

“...I’m going to destroy you in the next class.”

“That’s not even close to a fair game,” Qrow protests. “You have a natural advantage.”

It takes Raven a few seconds to realize what he means when she checks her schedule and sees UGLIFICATION written on it as their next class. She glares at him and he takes off running.

Raven follows after him, knocking aside a few unfortunate Nevers. “I’M GOING TO STAB YOU, QROW!”

She never uses her portals to catch up with him, not even when he sprints all the way to the Library of Vice, his laughter echoing in the halls behind him.

-

Ozpin sips his cocoa (coffee is far too bitter for his tastes) as he stares out across the bay, watching the glimmering waves meet the dark. How long he sits there, he doesn’t know, but eventually, a scratching noise forces him to turn.

On its pedestal, the Storian has come to life, scratching word after word on a blank book. The enchanted pen’s ink flows out of it like a waterfall as it writes a line in an elegant script. Ozpin stands from his chair, cocoa forgotten, and rushes over. By all accounts, this shouldn’t be possible. The fairy tale from the last group of students has already been completed and sent out. So why is the Storian starting a new fairy tale so soon?

Leaning down in front of the Storian, Ozpin reads the words that appear on the white pages of the book.

Once upon a time, there lived two boys named Qrow and Clover…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> qrow makes 2 references near the end of this chapter and I love them  
> also I've just accepted that I have enough of a backlog on my 600 different fics to update something every day so... I'll put something up tomorrow before fgweek


	3. First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Clover FINALLY hold a conversation.

“I _told_ you I’d destroy you,” Raven crows as she flounces down towards the Tunnel of Trees. “I got the top rank, too. And you, Qrow? A four?”

“Like I said, you have a natural advantage in Uglification.”

“...I’m starting to remember something about stabbing you.”

“Uh… change the subject.”

“Fine. When we get to the library, you actually have to help me instead of reading an old fairy tale or breaking things with your talent,” Raven snaps as she and Qrow hurry down the Tunnel of Trees to the Clearing. “Thanks to you and your talent practicing at home, I haven’t figured out a plan.”

“This is the first day of class, Raven,” Qrow responds, his hands slipping into his pockets as he walks beside her. “You don’t need your evil scheme and your backup plan before we’ve even gone to half of our classes.”

“See, that’s why you’re going to end up an Ever,” Raven says. “You’re going to say something like that for all of the three years we’ll be here until they realize you’ve done nothing Evil and kick you out.”

“Yes, Raven,” Qrow deadpans. “That’s absolutely how it works.”

Raven sighs. “Look, all I need is a target, and I need ideas for who to choose. Mother chose the best Evergirl, and we both know that that went well. But Evergirls are basic.”

“You want an Everboy,” Qrow realizes.

“Exactly,” Raven replies. “They might be airheaded, but they tend to be less airheaded than…” she trails off and points to an Evergirl who screeches and runs away from something neither of them can see. “See? She’s probably been brushed by a leaf.”

“But aren’t Everboys technically easier? Their code of honor’s too easy to take advantage of.”

“I guess,” Raven says. She thinks for a minute. “Since there’s two of us, we could always do one of each.” 

“Divide and conquer?”

“As always.”

They get in line for the buckets of gruel that the School for Evil serves for lunch with only a few people in front of them- Cinder, Hazel, Tyrian, and Arthur. Qrow and Raven shoot each other annoyed looks, but wait their turns.

Soon, Qrow and Raven sit down on Evil’s side of the clearing, each with a bucket of gruel. Qrow tries his first and shudders. “Is _this_ what we’re supposed to be eating all year?”

Raven frowns. “Is it that disgusting?” She takes a small taste and makes a face. “It’s not the best, that’s for sure. We’ll have to get used to it.”

“We could steal from the Evers,” Qrow suggests, sending a glance towards the baskets full of food that the nymphs have started handing to the Evers. “Theirs looks a lot better.”

Pulling out her handbook, Raven flips it to the School for Good’s weekly menu. “Do you really want smoked trout sandwiches, rampion salad and… strawberry soufflé?”

“Yes,” Qrow grumps, reluctantly sticking his rusty spoon into the gruel bucket. “I’d marry an Everboy if it meant getting this kind of thing every day.”

“Seems kind of shallow, but,” Raven pauses to eat another mouthful of gruel, “I guess you’d be twins in that regard if that’s the only reason you’re marrying an Everboy.”

Qrow nods, but he clearly isn’t paying much attention. After a few seconds, he whispers to Raven, “Is it just me, or are those two Evers staring at us?”

Raven follows his gaze to a blonde Evergirl and a brown-haired Everboy standing near the center of the Clearing. They pair duck their heads down when Raven looks up and start saying something to each other. “Oh, no,” she mutters. “This can’t be good.”

Meanwhile, Clover and Robyn are busy trying to pretend they’re not staring at the twin Nevers. Unfortunately for them, they’re both terrible at it.

“I really don’t want to lose my only friend here,” Robyn whispers. “So maybe you should, I don’t know, _not_ do the honorable thing for once in your life?”

“I promise I won’t die,” Clover responds. “I might lose a few limbs, though. If I don’t come back in five minutes, come over and save me.”

“Good luck.”

“I don’t need any more, but thanks anyway,” Clover says, flicking his clover pin. With a wave to Robyn, he saunters over the border between Good and Evil.

The second he crosses over, he can feel the stares of the Evers burning into his back while the Nevers all turn to leer at him. Swallowing, Clover tries to keep the confident look up, but by the time he makes it to the two red-eyed Nevers, he’s clutching the basket of his food like a lifeline.

Two pairs of red eyes finally snap up to meet his. “What do you want?” The girl asks, her gaze only slightly hostile. It’s an improvement from the Welcoming, that’s for sure.

“Well,” Clover stammers, resisting the urge to send a glance back at Robyn. “I just wanted to talk to your brother.”

The Neverboy raises an eyebrow, his facial expression clearly telling Clover to go on.

Clover takes a deep breath, wondering if he’s overthinking it for about half a second. “I’m really sorry about hitting you in the face at the Welcoming.”

“That was _you?_ ” The girl snarls.

Her brother raises a hand as if to hold her at bay, looking much calmer. He smirks up at Clover. “That was you, huh… You’re aware that it’s the Good that forgive?”

Clover nods, his grip tightening on his basket as he remembers one of the rules. _The Evil punish. The Good forgive._ Suddenly far more scared, he wonders how quickly the Never could take his training sword out of its sheath and skewer him with it. “Look, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

The two Nevers exchange a glance. “Are you sure you want to promise something to a Never?” The boy asks. When Clover nods, he holds out his hand. “Then can I have your lunch?”

“What? Why?”

“Because this gruel is going to be my only menu option for a year.”

Clover considers for a moment and then holds out his basket to the boy, who yanks it out of his hands immediately. His sister sighs as Evers audibly gasp behind him. “Is this the part where you tell me you’re marrying him?”

The boy is too busy stuffing his face to respond. He offers his sister half of the sandwich, but she shakes her head. Shrugging, the Neverboy devours the sandwich in a few bites and looks up. “I hope you’re allowed to get extras.”

“I don’t think we are,” Clover sighs, sending a wistful look at the basket of food. His eyes fall on the bucket of gruel. “But…”

When he sits down and tries the gruel, the boy chokes on his food to stare at him. Both Nevers watch him, waiting for his reaction. Clover takes a second to listen to the loud conversations on the Evers’ side from the people watching him before he shrugs. “I’ve had worse.”

The boy stares for a few seconds, bewildered. “What kind of prince are you?” He demands at last, eyes flicking between the gruel and Clover.

“That’s the thing,” Clover replies. “I’m not a prince.”

Taking a second to study his face, the boy eventually says, “Really? You definitely look like one.”

“Coming from you, I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

A smile- a real one, not even a smirk- appears on the boy’s face. He holds out his hand. “Qrow Branwen.”

Clover can feel his eyes widen. “You’re the Branwen twins?” He looks back and forth between Qrow and the girl he now knows is Raven Branwen. “The people who basically rule half of Netherwood?”

“The very same,” Qrow says. “By the way, do I get a name, or…?”

“Oh, sorry,” Clover says, shaking Qrow’s hand. “I’m Clover.”

“I’m Raven,” the girl says, a small smile on her lips. “But I think you might already know that.”

“And I’m Robyn.”

Clover turns around to see Robyn plopping down in front of the twins, opening her basket of food. She sees Clover’s puzzled expression and shrugs. “What? You said to come over in five minutes, but as far as I can see, you’re not planning on leaving.”

“You’re not wrong,” Clover admits, but he turns to the Branwen twins to see if they’re okay with it. Qrow ignores him, while Raven just gives him a curt nod. There’s a small frown on her face, but she looks more like she’s contemplating something and not willing him to leave.

“And there’s an easy way to find out anyway,” Robyn says. Qrow and Raven look puzzled, but Clover knows which special talent she’s referring to. She turns to the twins. “So is it true that you can shoot fire out of your hands?”

“You’ll find out,” Qrow replies with a smirk that does nothing to deny what she’s saying. “The Trial by Tale is in a month, after all.”

Robyn’s eyes narrow, but she says nothing. They don’t really talk for the rest of lunch, but Robyn tries the gruel halfway through, (she calls it “better than worm soup”) which stuns the two Nevers even further. At the end of lunch, when they’ve gotten rid of their baskets and buckets, the four split without saying goodbye.

The last thing Clover sees of Qrow before he turns is the disgust on his face. _I guess he really doesn’t like Evers?_ He’s too busy trying to figure out what he did wrong to notice the sneer on Raven’s face.

“Hey, if you’re done ogling the Nevergirl,” Robyn says, poking him. “We should probably hurry to Animal Communication.”

“Sorry,” Clover says, shaking himself back to reality. He follows Robyn back down the Tunnel of Trees, too distracted to tell Robyn that it wasn’t Raven he was staring at.

Across the Clearing, Raven and Qrow enter the Tunnel of Trees. Qrow turns to his sister the second they’re out of earshot of everyone. “Raven, what are you planning?”

“Me?” Raven turns to look at him, shooting him terrible puppy-dog eyes. “I’m not planning anything.”

“I know your planning face. Don’t lie to me.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll tell you when we’re in the library, okay?”

“Are you that worried about someone overhearing?”

Raven glances over her shoulder as if confirming Qrow’s suspicions. “It’s about that evil scheme we were talking about earlier. I think we have a target.” Her gaze travels to the wall of trees as if she can see the brown-haired Ever beyond them. “And I think you’ll like this one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters just went up for bewitched, and two chapters are going up for charmed too. I'll do double updates for both of them again on March 22 (and also my au for the week but that's not important, if you want to know what that is just check my tumblr)


	4. Wish Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven has Evil plans, and Robyn and Clover don't understand straight culture.

“What do you think of tricking someone into swearing to value their kingdom over anything else and then killing his family and driving him to madness?” Raven asks as she flips through the pages of a thick book. She leans over the couch to Qrow, who’s completely sprawled out over it. “Or should we maybe haunt their dreams?”

“Basic,” Qrow yawns. “It’s been done before.”

Raven snaps her fingers. “That’s right. I was forgetting Finola the Fairy Eater.” She slumps and drops the book on Qrow’s stomach. While he gasps for breath, she sighs, “I feel like everything has been done before. How are we supposed to get the Storian to write our fairy tale if we’re not original?”

“Beats me,” Qrow shrugs. “Has someone ever seduced their Nemesis’s love interest?”

“I can’t do that unless I figure out my Nemesis, and I haven’t had any Nemesis Dreams. Besides, that relies on them being in love with an Everboy. How about breaking his legs?”

“You probably wouldn’t be great at that anyway,” Qrow says. “Nemesis aside, didn’t you say you had a target?”

Raven stands up, a new, wicked gleam in her eye. “You know that Everboy who hit you in the face with his rose?”

Qrow’s hand drifts up to the faint, scabbed line on his forehead. “How could I forget _him?_ ” Dropping his hand so that his hair covers most of the line, he looks to his sister. “You know, I thought you’d at least choose a prince.”

“Yeah, but I want a challenge for once.”

“Really? He seems like the opposite of a challenge. Clover’s close enough to a Never already. You saw how he and Robyn act.”

“Just because they can eat our gruel doesn’t mean they’re not Good,” Raven replies. “And you’re forgetting you only know who he is because he felt so bad for hitting you in the face that he came over to apologize and promised to make it up to you, a Never he didn’t know.”

“Just because they can apologize doesn’t mean they _are_ Good,” Qrow retorts. “Look, Raven, why don’t you just go after that princess from the Frost Plains? What was her name? Willow?”

Raven shakes her head. “It should be Clover. He seems like he’d be an interesting target.” She walks around the couch to scan her brother’s eyes, a hint of suspicion in hers. “You’re never _this_ picky about a target.”

“I’m just trying to make sure we choose someone who’s actually worth it,” Qrow protests, but he can’t completely meet her eyes. Raven notices immediately and frowns.

“Clover’s worth it. He has a brain, which is pretty rare for Everboys. Like I said, he willingly apologized to you. And by the drooling I saw, the Evergirls are already thirsting after him.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Qrow says. “Evergirls are always thirsty. You don’t exactly see me thirsting after him, do you?”

Raven hesitates.

“ _Raven._ ”

“Just messing with you.” Raven sighs and sits down on the very edge of the couch. “If you don’t want Clover right now, we could trap his friend first.”

“Robyn?”

“That’s the one. So should we trap Clover, or should we wait a little and trap Robyn instead?”

Qrow considers, but the suspicion in her tone gives him little choice. “Actually, you’re right. Let’s trap Clover.” 

Raven nods, a smile coming to her face. “Great. We can use him to win the Trial by Tale, and if we’re lucky, we’ll kill him then. Between you and me, we’ll think of something.”

“Great,” Qrow says, standing up. “I forgot my quill for Curses & Death Traps. Meet me by the stairs later?”

Nodding, Raven lets him go. He keeps his back to her, completely missing her face when her eyes narrow and she scowls at him. He’s up to something, and she’s going to figure out what it is.

-

In Animal Communication, Princess Uma leads them to a pool full of fish that she calls Wish Fish. After a short speech about her own fairy tale, (something to do with an animal dying to save her, how _adorable_ ) she has them all line up to get the Wish Fish to show their greatest wish. Apparently, all they have to do is stick their finger in and the Wish Fish will show them their heart’s desire.

Clover finds himself being pushed to the back as the Evergirls in front of him all hurry in a large pack to stand in the front of the group. It’s not a problem, considering he has absolutely no idea what his heart’s desire is supposed to be. Robyn, Tai, Summer, and a blonde-haired girl with piercing green eyes line up behind him.

Tai grins and waves. “Good to see you again!”

With a quick nod back, Clover turns to watch the first Evergirl approach the pond. Sienna dips her finger into the pond and closes her eyes, and the fish start to change color.

Everyone watches in awe as the Wish Fish transform into a picture of Sienna, dressed in a very different outfit. Clover has to admit, this one is much cooler than the frilly pink dress that the Evergirls have as their uniform. The image of Sienna is lounging on a throne, sneering down at a red-haired boy.

“Adam,” Sienna snarls. “He’s been a pain for nine years of my life. I can’t wait until I win the throne of the White Fang-”

“The White Fang?” Princess Uma gasps in horror, sending nervous glances around at her animal friends. “The terrorist organization?”

“No, we must be thinking of a different thing,” Sienna says quickly, withdrawing her finger from the pool. “I’ve never heard of a terrorist organization.”

Robyn coughs loudly and holds out a hand that glows red to Clover. “At least we know we have an interesting class.”

“We all know it’s going to get to the wishes about boys soon enough,” Summer shrugs. “Whether we like it or not.”

“What happens if you have a wish about a boy?” Robyn asks. 

“I’m sure I do,” Summer replies. “But mine isn’t based on looks alone, at least.”

“Well, that’s unusual,” Princess Uma says as Sienna hurries off. “Most of you have dreams about your prince or princess. Now, I know you don’t want to reveal them, especially since this is no longer a girls only class, but please try not to confuse the fish.”

Robyn rolls her eyes as they watch the next girl go. Willow produces an image of a dark-haired boy that neither of them recognize, but she blushes when she sees him, turning her otherwise pale face bright red. 

Fiona goes next, looking extremely nervous when Princess Uma tells her to think of her dream prince. The fish gape at her for a second, but they start turning shades of light yellow, tan, and violet. Before they finish, Fiona gives a little gasp. She yanks her finger out of the pool like it’s acid and hurries away. Princess Uma sighs, but says nothing.

Madeleine’s Wish Fish change into shades of brown and teal. Clover recognizes the color of his eyes too late. When his face is fully formed, Madeleine sends one embarrassed glance to him and dives behind her friends. 

Aware that he’s probably as pink as she is, Clover turns to hide his face. Robyn stares back at him, smirking. “Are you going to wish for her?”

“You know me,” Clover sighs. “I’ve never really met a girl that I like that way.”

“You might want to figure it out. Your turn’s going to come faster than you think.”

“Yeah, and what about you? You hate everyone.”

Robyn takes a second to think about his words. “Oh, no.”

“What are we supposed to do?”

“Let me think,” Robyn says. She turns to Tai, Summer, and the blonde girl. “Do you want to go ahead of us?”

While Tai and Summer shrug and step in front of them, the girl stays back. She regards them with slight disdain and eventually asks, “What was that stunt you pulled with the Nevers?”

Clover frowns. “What stunt?”

“Sitting with them?” The girl hisses. “Princes and princesses aren’t supposed to sit with Nevers. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

Robyn crosses her arms and meets the girl’s eyes. “Glynda, let us do what we want. If princes and princesses aren’t supposed to, then who cares?”

Glynda frowns, but she says nothing. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” With that, she breezes past them and gets in line in front of Tai and Summer.

Harriet wishes for a boy whose face Clover finds faintly familiar, while Elm wishes for one who looks like his twin. Maybe Clover really should learn the names and faces of his classmates.

Jacques sticks his finger in and produces a picture of him sitting in a high throne, Willow at his side. Clover glances over at Willow, who looks like she’s going to be sick.

James wishes for Glynda (she makes a face) and Leonardo’s fish just get confused, ending up in a multitude of colors as they make weird faces at him. Dawn dreams of Jacques, who visibly winces in her face, and Clover can’t help but hate Jacques even more than he already does.

As the next few Evers take their turns, Robyn pokes Clover. “I can’t think of anything,” she whispers, sending a nervous glance at the quickly shortening line.

“Let me think,” Clover says. He watches Glynda step up to the pool and tries to divide his attention between her wish and his and Robyn’s plan.

Glynda wishes for an entire library of books. Princess Uma looks severely disappointed until James shows up, handing Glynda yet another stack of books.

Summer’s Wish Fish turn into a picture of her standing in a white dress and her hood next to a blond boy. It takes a few seconds for Clover to recognize Tai. Squeaking something unintelligible, Summer hurries away to let Tai take his turn. 

“At least they won’t have a problem with their Snow Ball dates,” Robyn says right before Tai puts his hand in the pool. The Wish Fish swirl into a foggy mass, eventually settling on a puzzled expression.

“It’s your turn, Robyn.”

“Shit.”

“Language. Look, I have a plan…” Clover leans in and whispers his one terrible idea to her. Robyn nods, her eyes brightening, and steps towards the pool.

Robyn sticks one finger into the pool and scrunches her eyes shut, a slight frown appearing on her face. Princess Uma and the rest of the class watch in anticipation as the Wish Fish all turn white. Her violet eyes opening in panic, Robyn stares at the image forming and jerks her finger just a little bit.

In a flash, Clover appears next to Robyn, who wears a long wedding dress. The real Robyn stares at the image as they turn towards her, smiling. Clover catches a glimpse of strange ripples at the bottom before Robyn yanks her finger out of the pool.

A group of eighteen smirking Evers turn to him as Robyn joins him. Clover suddenly regrets choosing to go last. He’s well aware that they’re all expecting him to wish for Robyn.

Taking a deep breath, Clover sticks a single finger into the cool water. The fish start to tremble and swirl, turning a multitude of different colors. Above all, Clover glimpses flashes of red and black. He doesn’t dare to shut his eyes as he focuses on the image he needs to appear.

Slower than Robyn’s turn, tired-looking Wish Fish assemble the same picture. It looks even brighter than Robyn’s, somehow. Clover recognizes his family in the front row- even his mother. For a second, he wants to believe she could really be sitting there.

Something dark stirs at the bottom of the image. Whatever it is, Clover doesn’t like it. He pulls his finger out and stands up slowly, turning to look at Robyn.

With an exaggerated amount of swooning, Robyn turns to Tai and Summer and whispers something. The other Evers are too far to hear it, but Tai and Summer laugh.

Princess Uma claps for all of them before she puts her finger in the pool. The Wish Fish turn into a bright pink suitcase, but fade quickly. She frowns as if she didn’t expect it to happen and says nothing while ranks appear over their heads.

Clover shrugs at the 3 over his head and high-fives Robyn, whose 2 sparkles even brighter than his rank. As they gather their supplies, Robyn escapes the group of teasing Evers to head to his side.

“Right. I’m never doing that again,” Robyn groans, picking up her stack of books. “Nothing is worth getting stuck in a crowd of Evergirls.”

“Agreed. Is this what we’re going to do every time?”

“We should just promise that we’re going to have a double wedding just like that one,” Robyn says. “It seemed pretty nice. Did you see all the flowers?”

“I was too busy trying not to show anything else besides that image,” Clover deadpans. 

Robyn sighs. “Next time, you’ve got to look at them. They’re beautiful.”

Clover wonders for a second what they could be, but it doesn’t take long to recognize the evil grin on Robyn’s face.“They’re exact duplicates of the one I hit Qrow with, aren’t they?”

“...Maybe?”

“I hate you.”

Robyn’s smirk doesn’t disappear all the way back to the dinner hall.


	5. Everyone Hates Straight Culture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rainne runs an lesson that Clover comes close to ruining with the sheer power of gay.

Surviving Fairy Tales, their only class with both Evers and Nevers, is in the Blue Forest, where all of the students gather at once. Clover and Robyn look around together, looking for a sign that reads #5. They see #4 and #6 with a large gap between them, but their group is nowhere in sight.

Once the other groups have departed, a nymph appears from behind a tree, counting the remaining students under her breath. Clover turns to see many familiar faces- Glynda, Willow, Qrow, Raven, Tai, Summer, Fiona… 

“Right,” Rainne says when she’s done counting. “I think we have everyone.” She sits down on a large rock and waves a pale hand at the air in front of them.

Shimmering golden letters appear and move themselves into rules that Clover has seen a few times before. 

The Evil _attack_. The Good _defend._  
The Evil _punish_. The Good _forgive._  
The Evil _hurt_. The Good _help._  
The Evil _take._ The Good _give._  
The Evil _hate_. The Good _love._

“These are the five rules that separate the Good and the Evil,” Rainne explains. “As long as you obey them, you’re more likely to survive your fairy tale. They should be easy to follow, of course. After all, you were chosen to attend this school by School Master Ozpin because you followed these rules.”

The letters fade away as Rainne continues. “You must first learn to recognize Good and Evil. In the Woods, appearances cannot be relied on. Countless heroes nearly ruined their fairy tales because they could not tell the difference between Good and Evil. Ridiculous, if you ask me. No matter how much Good and Evil are disguised, they can always be told apart, no matter how closely you look. Remember the rules, and you’ll be able to figure it out.”

“All I’m hearing is that Qrow really shouldn’t have forgiven you,” Robyn whispers, but Clover does his best to ignore her.

Rainne glances at her, but doesn’t seem to mind that she’s talking. “For today’s challenge, many teachers like to use single pairs of one Ever and one Never and have a student tell them apart. However, I’d like to start with a group exercise. Girls, over here. Boys, just step back.”

Robyn sighs and trudges over to Rainne. The nymph waves her hand again, summoning a row of coffins. “What are you waiting for? Get in?”

“Are you actually going to bury us?” Fiona asks as she steps towards the nearest one.

“No, of course not. I’m just going to shut the lid,” Rainne replies, gesturing to the solid lids of the coffins. “Now, if you’re ready…” As the girls, both Evers and Nevers, slide into the coffins, Rainne walks by and slams each lid shut with enough force to make Clover jump.

Rainne turns to the boys. “Everboys, study these coffins carefully and look for signs of a Good soul. When you’re sure you’ve found an Evergirl, just open the lid and kiss her hand, and you’ll find out if you were right or not.”

Jacques raises a hand. “Won’t we already know if we were right?”

“Oh, I forgot about that part.” Rainne snaps her fingers, and the solid lids on the coffins turn to glass. Clover tries to find Robyn in one of them, but to his surprise, every coffin appears to hold an identical, dark-haired princess. “Right. Go ahead, then.”

“What are we supposed to do?”

Rainne turns to find one of the Nevers half-glaring at her. She shrugs. “Sit back and relax, I guess.”

“Can we play?” Asks another.

“Knock yourselves out,” Rainne replies. “Why don’t you try to find the Nevers?” She turns back to the coffins.

_This is going to be really awkward if I can’t find Robyn_ , Clover thinks as he takes a tentative step forward. He tries to remember which coffin Robyn stepped into, but all he knows is that it was somewhere near the Nevers.

“Closing your eyes might help,” Rainne calls, so Clover shuts his eyes and focuses. He can feel what is most definitely an Evil presence in the leftmost coffin, and there’s another, less menacing presence next to it. Clover opens his eyes for a second to see Qrow standing right where he felt the less Evil person before he shuts them again.

Slowly, Clover feels the Good souls. He steps towards a coffin, but someone brushes him out of the way.

Jacques reaches towards one of the coffins and reaches out a hand. Something stops him three inches from the lid. He frowns and waves his hand, but it’s like an invisible barrier has been formed.

James walks forward confidently and opens a coffin, kissing the hand of the princess he finds within. Glynda pulls her hand out of his as fast as she can without looking completely terrible and turns to the coffin that Jacques is trying to open, a look of slight concentration on her face.

After a few more seconds of effort, Jacques sneers and yanks open the coffin next to his original target. He pulls out Cinder, who glares at him with such ferocity that he jumps five feet backwards. Clover can’t help but think that he deserves it.

There are only a few more Good souls still in their coffins. He doubts that Glynda really wants him near that coffin she’s clearly keeping Jacques away from, so he decides to stay away from this side of the coffins.

Wandering over to the right side, Clover stares at his options. One is definitely another Never, but the next few are all Evers. Which one is Robyn, which one is Robyn-

Adam pulls out Robyn and kisses her hand. She audibly gags and yanks her hand out of his. To Clover, it looks like she’s two seconds away from punching him in the face.

Clover turns back to his options. More boys are heading over, so he needs to act quickly. He feels the faintest spark of Good in the coffin in front of him and opens it carefully, kissing the hand of the girl inside.

Harriet blinks back at him as he helps her out of the coffin. “This doesn’t mean anything, you know.”

“Of course it doesn’t.”

“Great.” She winks and gives him finger guns. Clover squints, trying to figure out what his instincts are telling him. There’s something about Harriet that-

“I hate my life,” Robyn groans behind him. “Adam Taurus pulled me out of a coffin. I had to touch Adam Taurus’s grubby hand. _Adam Taurus._ I want to throw up.”

“Trust me, everyone could tell,” Clover replies dryly.

“Yeah, I know,” Robyn sighs. “I almost feel bad. I just couldn’t help it.”

Qrow opens the leftmost coffin and yanks the princess inside out of it. The coffins disappear behind her as Raven returns to her usual self without Qrow having to kiss her hand.

Ranks appear over their heads. Glynda gets a 1, but as she looks up at her rank, Willow, who clearly snuck out of her coffin, walks over with a huge frown. The cause is clearly the smoldering 19 over her head.

14 appears over Robyn’s head, while a 6 appears over Clovers. Robyn sees his rank and grumbles, “Unfair.”

“It’s not me who fooled a Neverboy into thinking I was Evil.”

“Only the best Good can disguise as Evil,” Robyn retorts. “So you can shut up.” She turns a little, her eyes focusing on something over Clover’s shoulder. “Uh, Clover?”

Clover turns around to see Raven approaching him, a weirdly friendly smile on her face. “Hey, Clover!”

“...Hi?”

“So, I was wondering if you wanted to sit with us during lunch again?”

“I’m not sure if that’s the best idea,” Clover replies, laughing nervously. “The teachers might not like it, and I’m pretty sure your brother hates Evers.”

“Qrow can be an ass sometimes,” Raven deadpans. “I’m sure he likes you in reality, he just tends to act like he hates everyone. I’m pretty sure Robyn’s the same, actually.”

Robyn doesn’t even have to deliberate. “We’ll be there.”

“Great!” With a cheery wave, Raven goes back to her brother, who gives her an odd look. 

Clover turns to Robyn. “Seriously?”

“What? Do you think she’s trying to murder us?”

“No, I just don’t really want to bother Qrow. And we shouldn’t be sitting with them anyway. Evers and Nevers aren’t supposed to have friendly interactions.”

“Should’ve thought of that before you ate his lunch,” Robyn shrugs.

“I guess.”

“Come on, Clover. It’ll be fine. They didn’t murder you last time.”

“James nearly did. He ranted for _hours._ ”

“What he thinks doesn’t really matter,” Robyn replies, sending James a dirty look. “He’s wrong most of the time, as far as I can tell.”

Clover sighs. “This is going to be an interesting lunch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for my discord server people: you know why I had to do this. you know.
> 
> for everyone else: this is why I had to do this. https://idiot-with-a-cat-pen.tumblr.com/post/612805811222216704/world-loading-yeah-this-is-a-scene-from-charmed
> 
> ...now that's 2 chapters I have to write for that double update on the 22nd but I regret nothing. n o t h i n g.


	6. Laying the Foundation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More lunch shenanigans, mostly so Raven can kill them all, and also the origin of Clover's weird arm tie. Robyn is the only one who knows what's up with Qrow and Clover, and Clover is the only one who knows about Robyn and Fiona.

The next day, once Clover and Robyn have gotten their lunches, they make their way to the Nevers’ side of the Clearing. Whispers and glares follow them all the way across, but they do their best to ignore them. Hundreds of years of Ever-Never separation isn’t going to stop them.

Clover steps over the border. So does Robyn. Three more people step over with them.

“Hi,” Summer says, giving no explanation as she skips over to Raven and Qrow, who eye her warily. She doesn’t seem to notice their expressions, or maybe she just doesn’t care. Either way, she sits down in front of them and gives them a cheery smile that has just a hint of smug satisfaction.

Tai sits next to her, his smile just as friendly but not nearly as teasing. Raven holds his gaze until his smile fades and he looks slightly terrified.

Fiona follows Tai and Summer, sitting slightly behind them as if using them as a barrier. Raven’s too busy glaring at Tai to look at her, so after a few seconds of remaining unnoticed, she relaxes.

“I didn’t think you’d bring so many people,” Raven comments when Clover makes it over to them, her face tight. He can sense the disdain, but he appreciates that she seems to be trying to hide it.

“Well, the more, the merrier,” Summer shrugs. She pulls a cookie out of her pocket and offers it to Raven. “Want one?”

Robyn stares at the cookie in shock. “Where did you- the uniforms don’t have-”

“They have pockets,” Summer says. “You just have to find them in all of the frills.” She turns back to Raven and holds the cookie out further as if trying to tame a wolf. 

Slowly, Raven’s fingers close around the cookie. She takes a small bite while Summer watches her carefully, waiting to see her reaction. The girl’s red eyes widen slightly, and she suppresses a smile. “Not bad.”

Summer smirks and holds out another cookie to Qrow, who takes it immediately. He, unlike Raven, doesn’t hide what he thinks of it. In seconds, he devours the entire thing and accepts another.

Clover glances at Qrow and tries for a friendly smile, but the way Qrow looks up at him makes it fade somewhat. By the time Clover blinks, Qrow’s slight frown is gone, replaced by a forced grin.

“How’s class been so far?” Qrow asks, his pleasant tone barely giving away how much he clearly wants them all to leave.

Robyn whips around faster than humanly possible. “IT’S TERRIBLE,” she screeches immediately. “Professor Anemone graded us on smiling. Smiling! It’s not my fault that I hate her and everyone else!”

“Professor Lukas tried to teach us how to sew,” Clover groans. “I’ve been sewing for years.”

Qrow arches an eyebrow. “Your class can’t sew? And you get graded on smiling?”

“It’s women’s work, according to Jacques.”

Robyn just groans in response.

“Right, well, Jackass or whatever his name is is wrong. Even I can sew, for gods’ sake.”

“Jackass,” Robyn wheezes, dropping her basket of food as she laughs. Once she finally straightens, she shrugs. “Accurate.”

“I know,” Qrow smirks. “I heard another Everboy punched him the second he got here. He said something about him not belonging in Good at all?”

Clover nods. “James Ironwood, my roommate. He told me that they live near each other in the Frost Plains, and that Jacques-”

“Jackass,” Qrow and Robyn correct at the same time. Robyn looks at Qrow. Qrow looks at Robyn. They give each other a high-five.

“...anyway, that he doesn’t belong in the School for Good,” Clover finishes. “I don’t know, though. He seems… okay.”

“We don’t want him,” Raven calls from where she leans against the tree, and Qrow nods along. 

Robyn sighs. “It’s fine if you hate him, Clover. Qrow and Raven are Nevers- I’m sure they won’t care if you don’t act like a perfect Everboy.”

Something about her words makes Qrow jerk his head around and glare pointedly at Raven, whose eyes narrow as she returns the look. Raven shakes her head so slightly that the others don’t notice before she looks back to Tai, Summer, and Fiona to resume their conversation.

Qrow takes a second to return to the conversation as his red eyes dart everywhere, calculating something. After a few more looks to Raven that she easily returns, he sighs and says, “This is what Good gets for supporting gender roles, I guess.”

“Does all the torture help you be a better asshole?” Robyn asks.

“Maybe,” Qrow retorts, “But clearly, nothing’s going to help you be a better princess.”

Robyn clutches her heart and falls backwards, sliding just a fraction down the slope. Clover glances at Qrow, unsure of why he seems so… prickly. Raven _did_ say he actually liked them, though. Was she right, or did Qrow really just hate their presence that much?

Qrow sees the wary look. “It was a compliment,” he shrugs.

Sitting up, Robyn says, “Don’t worry so much, Clover. It’s definitely a good thing not to be like…” she trails off to glare at the shrieking Evergirls across the Clearing, “...them.”

“Definitely,” Qrow agrees, taking another cookie from Summer. “I’d take someone to your Snow Ball sooner than attend any of your _smiling_ classes, you know. I don’t know if it’s sad that you have to learn to smile, or if you’re just too good at everything else.”

“Come to Swordplay & Weapons Training and you’ll see it’s the latter,” Robyn replies, flipping her hair.

“Did you just have that class, then?” Qrow asks, taking in the sweat on their faces.

Clover nods, remembering a long and glorious class of watching Willow Schnee knock Jacques to the ground each time they sparred. That alone had almost been worth the shallow cut that James had accidentally given him.

As he thinks of it, the cut on his arm gives a painful twinge. Clover tries to hide it, but he can’t help the flinch and the twitch of his arm.

Robyn notices immediately and immediately starts tugging on his sleeve until she can pull his jacket half-off and see his torn sleeve, which is faintly bloodstained. She sighs when she sees the cut. “Why didn’t you tell Professor Espada?”

“I… forgot?”

His friend raises an eyebrow and gives him a look that can only be expressed as _don’t you dare lie to me._ He returns her gaze as adamantly as he can, neither of them willing to look away first. Robyn slowly raises a hand, no doubt ready to lie detect on him.

A ripping noise brings them back to reality, and a second later, as both Clover and Robyn turn, Qrow holds out the scrap of red fabric that’s clearly been torn from his long cape. “Without our fingerglows unlocked, there’s not much I can do,” he says to explain it. “I wouldn’t necessarily say this is the best option either, but it’ll work until you get that to a teacher. And you’re going to get it to a teacher, preferably before it gets infected and you die.”

Clover blinks and accepts Qrow’s scrap of cape. Robyn helps him to tie it around the wound on his left arm. When they’re done, he turns to Qrow and nods gratefully. “I owe you.”

“Stop saying that,” Qrow mutters. “I’m Evil and you know I’m going to take advantage of it.”

“By doing what? Stealing my lunch?”

Qrow pauses before he admits, “You got me there.”

Clover can’t hide his smile, and neither can Qrow. He glances down at his basket. “Do you want any food? I don’t have much left, but…”

Waving him off, Qrow shakes his head. “I have to get used to this sooner or later.”

Leaning over to whisper in his ear, Robyn says, “You know, I’m starting to think it’s not the Nevergirl you have your eyes on. I never thought you’d go for a Neverboy, but I guess things change.”

“Ha, ha,” Clover sighs. “You know I-”

Fiona taps Robyn on the shoulder. “Hey, Robyn, can you tell Raven about our classes? You’re the best storyteller out of all of us, and Raven says she wants to hear your opinion.”

Robyn jolts and sits up straighter, turning to face Fiona. “Uh… yeah, sure! Of course!” As she turns to talk to them, Fiona’s hand slowly slipping away from her shoulder, Clover catches the slightest hint of red on her cheeks.

_She’s one to talk._ Clover turns back to Qrow, who has gone back to frowning at his sister. The red-eyed Never stops trying to kill Raven with his eyes after he realizes Clover’s looking at him.

“How are your Evil classes?” Clover asks once he has Qrow’s attention. 

Qrow shrugs. “They’re… interesting. I have Henchmen Training first thing in the morning, so that means an earful of Castor to wake me up every day. You remember Castor, right?”

Clover thinks back to the Welcoming and one of the heads on the giant dog. He nods.

“Right. So he’s always screaming at us to pay attention, but at least it’ll get us prepared for the Sidekick Challenge later this year. Special Talents is nothing special, Raven is too good at Uglification, Curses and Death Traps is pretty entertaining, and History of Villainy is decent.” 

“Curses and Death Traps?”

Qrow nods. “Where we learn to trap Evers by subtly manipulating them, or just stabbing them as fast as we can.”

Before Clover can respond, Raven stands up, holding her empty bucket. “I think that’s the end of lunch, guys,” Raven says to all of them as she steps away from her tree. “So… do you guys want to always sit with us?”

Robyn is the first to nod, followed by everyone else. Raven grins. “Great! Then we’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Qrow stalks up to Raven and hisses something in her ear, looking furious. She rolls her eyes at him, gives the group a last friendly smile and follows him towards the Nevers’ Tunnel of Trees.

“Huh,” Robyn says when they leave. “I guess he just hates Evers?”

“I don’t know,” Clover replies. “He seemed nice enough.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Summer shrugs. “Let’s go.”

As they leave for their Tunnel of Trees, Clover glances back to Qrow, who’s already saying something to Raven. His sister only smirks and crosses her arms as he continues to talk.

He doesn’t really know Qrow, but Clover can’t help but feel a little bad. _Does he really hate all of us that much?_

-

“What are you planning?” Qrow growls to Raven, who just grins at him. “Why would you invite them to sit with us every day?”

“Didn’t we agree to go after Clover?” Raven asks, unflinching under her brother’s glare despite the fact that the Nevers behind her seem to wince as they pass. “I’m just trying to start the trap before it’s too late.”

“Look, are we so sure this is a good idea? The Storian doesn’t write fairy tales until our fourth year. Why bother trying to kill him now?”

“Don’t tell me you’re having doubts,” Raven says. “He’s expendable and we can use him. What more could I ask for? Just relax. I’m sure it’ll be over soon enough.”

Qrow hesitates, but as always, he has little choice. Sighing, he follows her out of the Clearing. “Fine.”

Raven glances at him as they leave, her tone softening just a little as she reminds him, “This is how we’re made, Qrow. We grew up training for this. It’s our path as Nevers.”

“And that path ends in death, Raven! Evil hasn’t won for two hundred years, so why should it win now?”

“They’ve never had two villains working together like we do,” Raven answers. “Villains fall because they can’t cooperate. They’re too prideful. We can keep each other in check. Besides, when I inherit the family fortune, I can help you conquer your own kingdom- and then that’s it! Two Never kingdoms, working together? The Endless Woods won’t stand a chance.”

Qrow’s heard the fantasy many times before, outlined by his mother or father or Raven. Before he came to this school, he was ready to do whatever it took. He’d never thought about the real consequences, or the effect this would have on him.

Teal eyes and a wide smile flash through his mind before Qrow shakes his head and walks beside Raven towards the School for Evil, the single thought ringing in his mind.

_I don’t want to kill him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one... more... chapter... and then I'm done with fgweek


	7. Curses and Death Traps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Raven start to plan, no matter how hesitant he is about this entire killing Clover thing.

“Raven,” Qrow hisses, nudging his sister as they walk through the hallway. “What’s the plan?”

“I’ll tell you later,” she responds, not looking up from her book. She almost runs into several Nevers, Cinder Fall among them, but they move out of her way.

“You said that at the beginning of our free period,” Qrow says. “Come on, I just want to know the plan.”

His sister looks up, a fleeting hint of suspicion in her eyes. He blinks, and it’s completely gone. She nods, almost in approval. “Actually, I don’t really have an exact plan yet. The thing about Clover is that he actually has a brain, and that’s just going to make him an issue.”

Qrow nods. “That makes sense. What do you have so far?”

Raven throws her hands in the air. “He’s good at everything, apparently. And charming, if that Evergirl’s information is to be believed.”

“You spoke to an Evergirl?” Qrow raises an eyebrow, barely believing it. Raven has never been the type to sacrifice so many brain cells over a couple of observations. “Are you feeling okay?”

With a snort, Raven rubs her forehead. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep again without hearing her squeaky voice.”

“I don’t know, Rae,” Qrow says. “I’ve had to deal with you for seventeen years, but you don’t see me having trouble sleeping.”

Raven sighs as they step into the classroom for Curses & Death Traps- an icy cold dungeon that makes both of them shiver before they hide it. It’s said that real villains don’t get cold in this classroom. “That aside, the Evergirl said it’s him and James Ironwood that all of them are after. And can I just say, why in all of the Endless Woods would anyone care so much for either of them?”

“If they like James so much, why don’t we just kill him? He seems like more of a model prince anyway,” Qrow suggests.

“Too easy to play and too fragile, from what I’ve seen. No one can be that calm. He’s like a glass chess piece.” The suspicion is back in her eyes as she stares at him, but he pretends not to notice.

Qrow doesn’t respond before Lady Lesso sweeps into the room in her typical purple outfit, fixing each Never with a glare even colder than her room. Never after Never shrinks away from her until she gets to him and his sister, who meet her gaze with what could even be described as boredom.

Lady Lesso’s eyes gleam with faint approval before she steps in front of her desk and says, “Continuing on from our last lesson, we’ll be talking about knowing your enemy and never, ever leaving a paper trail.”

Ironically, as she starts her lecture, Raven slides a piece of parchment to Qrow with the words _Observations on C_ hastily scrawled on them. Underneath the title, Raven’s started a list. _Almost top of the class, apparently charming, and skilled in combat (probably not enough)_ are all written down. 

Qrow stares at the paper for a second before pulling out his own quill to add to the list. _Not an idiot, somehow also an idiot, and unfairly attractive._ He slides it back to Raven, who takes a second to read it. 

_Are you serious_ is her only reply when she sends the note back to him, keeping her eyes on Lady Lesso all the while.

_What? We’re making an observations list, and that’s definitely what I’ve seen._

_Just… ugh. He’s definitely Good, no matter how much you insist he acts like a Never. He also seems easy to manipulate, seeing as he just went with it and sat with us._

Qrow reaches for the note and tries to pull it back, but Lady Lesso snatches it from his grip. She raises an eyebrow and waves the piece of paper at them as she stalks to the front of the room.

When she turns around, she fixes them with another of her glares. This time, Qrow and Raven flinch. “What did I say about leaving a paper trail?”

Neither of the two respond.

“Oh, that’s right. You have no idea, because you were too busy talking about…” Lady Lesso unfolds the note, taking a moment to scan its contents before she continues. “You were talking about an _Everboy?_ ”

Raven doesn’t get a chance to explain as Lady Lesso returns to stand in front of her desk and slams her hands down on it. “Are you telling me that while I’m teaching you to be the best villains you can be, you’re sitting here with a princess’s crush on an Everboy?”

Qrow opens his mouth to try to defend his sister, but Lady Lesso sweeps away from Raven to glare at him. “And you! You should know better than to ignore my lessons, and you should definitely know better than to encourage whatever _this_ is. I’d expected better from the Branwen twins.”

He glances at his sister. _She really thinks Raven would ever love an Everboy?_

“Well?” Lady Lesso hisses, stepping away from both of them. She crosses her arms, the coldness in her eyes remaining. “What do you have to say for yourselves?”

“I-”

“And if you tell me that I haven’t misjudged this situation, you know exactly what’s going to happen.” Lady Lesso thrusts a finger towards the icy floor, and on cue, tortured screams rise from it. 

Both of them can’t suppress the shiver as every Never in the classroom looks down and realizes what lies beneath their feet.

The Doom Room.

Taking a second to collect herself, Raven replies, “I have absolutely no plans of loving an Everboy, but you _did_ tell us to know our enemy, didn’t you?”

Even with her excuse, the others in the classroom start muttering. Qrow sighs. They’ll always be waiting for signs of weakness from them, and getting caught passing these notes is surely one of them.

Lady Lesso considers for a second before she rips the note in half and drops it on the ground. “Hmm. Just in case you even _think_ about falling in love with Evers or ignoring my lessons again… one week of cleaning the stymph troughs.”

“What?” Raven exclaims. “Stymphs _hate_ Nevers! They’ll rip us to shreds!”

“Like I said, I expected better of the Branwen twins,” Lady Lesso growls. “Are you so worthless that you can’t deal with a few stymphs?”

Raven takes a deep breath, looking like she regrets her outburst. “Right. I… apologize.”

Cinder Fall sneers at her until Raven turns and glares, effectively silencing the other Nevergirl. Something on Cinder’s face tells Qrow that a few mean looks aren’t going to control her for much longer, but he has other problems to deal with for now.

After a few more tense seconds that Lady Lesso uses to give both of them a final, icy glare, she returns to the front of the room and continues talking. Qrow and Raven shoot each other disappointed looks. No matter what Lady Lesso says, they’re definitely going to have issues with the stymphs. 

Raven looks even more murderous than she usually does. Barely watching her volume, she hisses to Qrow, “Just another reason to kill him, right?”

A slimy feeling settles over Qrow, but he still nods. “Right.”

-

Professor Dovey passes by Clover’s desk again as he tries to pay attention to her lecture. It’s something about knowing the proper time for self-sacrifice, and while he knows it’s important, he keeps getting distracted. On her other side, Robyn is digging through the frills on her dress to find her pockets, and her facial expression each time she fails is hilarious.

A chill passes over Clover, and he can’t help but shiver violently. Robyn looks up from her dress to shoot him a concerned look, but he waves her off. 

Robyn slides him a piece of parchment already covered in the notes they’ve been passing. _What’s wrong?_

_I don’t know. I just feel like someone’s watching me._

-

“Someone is definitely watching you,” Ozpin smirks as he sips his cocoa, never taking his eyes off the Storian as the pen sketches a drawing of Qrow with a slight frown on his face. A line gets drawn to split the picture down the middle before the Storian draws Clover, wearing a similar expression.

When the drawing is finished, the page of the book moves on its own so that the Storian can write more on the next page.

_For now, they were safe. But Raven was starting to make plans, and the Trial by Tale was quickly approaching..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes. the quintuple update is now done. thank you for reading!


	8. Growing Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone checks the rankings in preparation for the Trial by Tale, which might be stupid. It's a month away, after all. Meanwhile, Qrow and Raven are doing their best not to die.

At lunch the next day, the first thing Clover and Robyn do is check the rankings. As they walk up, Tai, Summer and Fiona follow them to read the names pecked into the list by Albemarle, the bird who taught Physical Education.

Glynda Goodwitch’s name in the top spot is no surprise, and neither is Willow Schnee’s in the second. What _does_ surprise all of them is the third name painstakingly pecked there: Clover Ebi of Jaunt Jolie.

Robyn starts clapping first as Clover stares in his name in surprise. He knows he’s done well, but surely not _that_ well. Still, his name in the third-place spot tells him that he’s wrong on that account.

“Summer Rose of Altazarra!” Summer cries when they get to the fourth slot, pumping a fist in the air. Her loud shout of triumph attracts the attention of several Evers, who stare at her for a few seconds before returning to their food. She turns and whispers to the group, “We should all go to the Groom Room to celebrate.”

“I wouldn’t make any assumptions yet,” Fiona replies. “There’s still the rest of us.”

Fiona’s caution turns out to be in vain as they read through the list. James Ironwood is fifth, a fact that none of them really care about. Robyn smirks when she reads her name in sixth, and the smile only grows when they find Fiona in seventh and Tai in eighth. 

“There’s no way Jacques can be in ninth, is there?” Clover asks when he gets to the white-haired boy’s name.

“Well, clearly there is,” Robyn sighs. She glares at Jacques’s line. “I’m going to get him off the top-ten.”

“Yeah, but if he’s in the top ten, he might die in the Trial by Tale,” Summer says hopefully. Everyone turns to her in shock, but as they stare, they hear Willow laugh as she walks by. 

No one pays attention to Harriet Bree’s name in the tenth slot as Tai says, “You know we’re all in the top ten too, don’t you? We could all die in the Trial by Tale.”

Robyn just waves his concerns off. “Deaths are rare, and it’s not like we’re unprepared for it. The Nevers won’t know what hit them.”

“Speaking of Nevers…” Clover trails off, looking to the sign opposite the Ever rankings that hold the long list of all 120 Nevers. “Why don’t we see who’s likely to end up in the Trial with us?”

The group follows him to the Never ranking board, staying as far as they can while still being able to read it. None of them particularly want to take their chances with the Nevers, especially with Qrow and Raven nowhere in sight.

“Raven Branwen of Netherwood,” Fiona reads to them, shivering. “Oh, great. We’re all dead.”

“And crispy, if the Branwen twins really do control fire,” Robyn adds. Summer clamps her hands over Fiona’s ears and glares at her.

Clover looks at the name right under Raven’s. “Qrow Branwen of Netherwood.”

“Unsurprising,” Tai shrugs. “Who’s Cinder Fall?”

Robyn thinks for a second before replying, “Dark hair, amber eyes, constantly just looks like she’s trying too hard. Does that ring a bell?”

“That sounds like about half of the Nevers,” Summer deadpans. “Anyway. Number four is some guy named Tyrian, Adam’s in fifth- hey, didn’t Sienna mention Adam in Animal Communication?”

“How do you remember that?” Clover asks.

“Because she was very obviously in a terrorist organization,” Summer replies. 

Tai sighs and continues reading, squinting to see the names. “Hazel Rainart, Arthur Watts, Marrow Amin, Vine Zeki, and Eve Silver.”

“That sounds… less than impressive,” Robyn says. “I guess we’ll see in the Trial by Tale, won’t we?”

“If we do our homework, we will,” says Fiona. “Otherwise, we get to sit in safety.”

“Safety is boring.”

“This is why you’re going to die in the Trial by Tale.”

Clover shakes his head and turns towards where Qrow and Raven usually sit. “Do you think they’re coming?” he asks, gesturing to the tree. 

“Nah, let’s just go get our food and a spot,” Tai replies, trudging off towards the long line of Evers waiting for their baskets to be handed to them by a group of nymphs. 

Once everyone has their food- broiled herring, haricots verts, sugarplums, and cherry tea- they sit down on the Ever side of the Clearing. As usual, there are whispers from the other Evers, but this time it’s because they _didn’t_ sit with Qrow and Raven.

“So, the Trial by Tale,” Summer begins once she’s had about half of a broiled herring. “What do we know? Anything from our families?”

“That’s assuming they haven’t changed it from when our relatives attended,” Tai reminds her. “It could be a totally different thing now.”

Clover raises an eyebrow. “With the still-present lack of gender equality that’s been here since its founding? I’m going to assume it’s the same.”

Everyone blinks. At last, Robyn says, “Well, you’re not wrong.”

“I know. So, if what my grandfather said was right, the tenth-place Ever and Never go out separate gates. Fifteen minutes later, the ninth-place students go in, and they follow the pattern until all twenty are inside. Naturally, you want to be in the first spot if you’re in the top ten, because the longer you spend in there, the more likely you are to die,” Clover explains. “We all have one way of escape- a handkerchief, white for Evers, red for Nevers. If it touches the ground, we get transported to the school and eliminated from the competition.”

“So what happens if someone else throws your flag on the ground for you?” Fiona asks, taking another bite of her food. “You still lose, right?”

“Right. At dawn, whoever’s still in the forest wins.”

They fall silent, sometimes sending a nervous glance towards the ranking board of Nevers. Finally, Clover voices what they’re all thinking. “Are we going to trust Qrow and Raven?”

Robyn sighs. “Right now, I don’t think we should. Let’s just get to know them, I guess.”

“They’re _Nevers,_ ” Fiona reminds them. “Somehow I don’t think they’ll play fair.”

“It’s Qrow and Raven, though,” Tai says. “They don’t seem like typical Nevers.”

“And have you entertained the idea that they’re just trying to kill us all by making us trust them?”

Clover glances back at the Never side of the Clearing, where Qrow and Raven are nowhere to be found. He shakes his head as he turns back. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Speaking of them,” Robyn mutters, noticing their absence, “Where are they?”

-

“Qrow, get over here and help me!”

“I’m trying not to _die_ , Raven!”

“SO AM I!”

“Fine!” Qrow turns from where he’s running from one of the stymphs and uses a tree branch to flip himself onto its back. It shrieks in rage and tries to turn its head to snap at him. He breaks the tree branch off and throws it like a javelin at the stymph trying to rip Raven in half, knocking its jaws away from her just in time. 

Raven summons a portal that the stymph flies into just a second later, dropping it who-knows-where. She takes the opportunity to scrub the trough for just a second before the next one lunges at her. “Qrow!”

“Busy!” Qrow replies, now running from the stymph that’s managed to toss him off. He gets stuck in a dense area of trees. “Raven, I think I’ve got a bigger issue here.”

His sister waits until the stymph is ready to eat him to kick it in the face, still being chased by hers. She uses its head to push herself up, narrowly avoiding snapping jaws.

Qrow finishes his side of the trough while Raven continues to run, but as he stands, yet another stymph snaps at him. He winces and holds out a hand in a futile attempt to make it leave.

The stymph stops so close to him that he can feel its nose about to touch its hand. It considers for a second, breathing deeply (which is weird when it’s made of bone). Qrow starts to slide away, but it lunges.

Another portal appears, sending the stymph far away. Raven leans down and finishes scrubbing the stymph trough before glancing up at him.

“You couldn’t have done that earlier?” Qrow asks as a stymph leaps away from him as if it’s been burned, running into a nearby tree.

“I hate you.”

-

The School for Good is completely devoid of gender roles. It has never had gender roles. It’s always been fair. That’s why Clover is in Physical Education (it takes place in the Groom Room, and they only get graded on effort, which is a first) and Robyn gets to go to Princess Etiquette, where she’ll be learning how to dance like a princess. Delightful.

Watching Jacques snivel as he whines to Albemarle about how he shouldn’t be doing this is almost worth it. _Almost._ Mostly because Clover’s favorite roommate is currently lecturing both him and Tai on being in the company of Nevers.

“I’m telling you, princes and princesses shouldn’t be friends with witches. We’re all above that, and besides, they’re more likely to kill you than actually befriend you,” James continues, unaware that his audience is barely paying attention.

Tai and Clover shoot each other a look. It’s been twenty minutes since he started talking, and he’s showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. Both of them stay silent until James opens his mouth to keep talking.

“Hold on,” Clover interrupts. “First of all, we’re not princes. Second, you could probably count them as more of a prince and princess than us.”

“Once we’re here, we’re all princes,” Ironwood replies. “Our class can’t be made entirely out of royalty, can it? And what do you mean about the Nevers being, well…”

“The Branwens practically rule Netherwood, don't they?"

James nearly drops his weight. "They're- You're making friends with _them?_ ”

“...Yes?”

“Are you insane? That’s even worse! The Branwens are the most Evil family in all of the Endless Woods!”

“I don’t know,” Tai shrugs. “They seemed nice enough.”

“Haven’t you heard the saying? Only the best Evil can disguise as Good, and they’re definitely the best. I won’t be surprised if they both turn out to be 100% Evil.”

“Or maybe they do have some Good in them,” Clover suggests.

James shakes his head. “Didn’t you hear me? We might as well assume they’re 100% Evil now. I’m telling you, Raven Branwen would probably kill her own child.”

Tai stiffens. “She’s not _that_ bad.”

“Why do you care?”

“She’s our friend,” Clover answers before Tai can. “And so is Qrow.”

Jacques, sweaty and shaking, arrives next to them after Albemarle’s scolding. He leans over to Ironwood and whispers as loudly as possible, “Just give up. It’s a lost cause.”

“Don’t make me punch you again,” James snaps, gesturing to Jacques’s still-present black eye.

“ _Please_ make him punch you again,” Tai mutters.

Clover snorts, but elbows Tai anyway. “I’m pretty sure he can hear you, you know.”

“Good!”

-

The Storian picks up the pace, scribbling frantically. Ozpin turns from where he stands at the window, sorting through the ranks from each class. The smoke and glitter hovers just outside of the tower, waiting for his return.

Ozpin hurries over to the Storian and sighs as he reads the words. This pen has been known to write slightly in the future, but this is too far ahead. He wracks his brain, trying to remember what date he’s set for the Trial by Tale. 

“The Trial by Tale is in over a month,” Ozpin realizes at last. “Why…”

As if answering his question, the Storian slows down, its nib hovering over the title of the chapter it’s just started.

_Chapter 12: With Friends Like These._

It starts to outline the events, much slower, as if the chapter name was all it wanted to write. Ozpin watches it sketch out the scene, dark ink slowly forming a picture.

He recognizes the subjects of the drawing immediately- all three are high-ranking students in either the School for Good or Evil, and they’ve all already appeared in this fairy tale. Ink turns red to highlight the glints in the two Nevers’ eyes as they slash towards their target- an Everboy, his uniform torn and bloody.

Ozpin sighs, shaking his head. “That poor boy. He doesn’t stand a chance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you'd think I'd show more restraint when publishing these chapters, but I really just want to get to the Trial by Tale >:)


	9. Mogrification

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> my plot outline says "furries don't wear clothes" and that's all you really need to know. oh also their magic gets unlocked but no one cares about that xD

In Surviving Fairy Tales, Rainne brings out a swan-shaped key. “This will unlock your fingerglows,” she explains, her expression as serious as it can be. “Only strong emotion will cause your fingers to glow, but once they do, you will be able to use magic. Some spells require incantations, while others simply need a gesture to work.”

The nymph walks up to Robyn first and raises her silver key. “Right hand, please.”

Mystified, Robyn takes a second to raise her hand. Rainne takes her hand and inserts the key straight into Robyn’s finger. All around the clearing, the Evers and Nevers flinch, but Robyn just stares. The key sinks deeper and deeper into her flesh, but it doesn’t harm her. Rainne turns the key, making Robyn’s finger glow green.

Robyn holds her finger up in surprise as the glow fades while Rainne moves on to Clover. She plunges the key into his finger, and when he looks down, he can see his finger turning transparent as the swan bit rotates his bone painlessly. 

A glow not too far from Robyn’s but still its own shade of green appears on Clover’s finger for a second before it flickers and dies. He turns to watch Rainne unlock the other fingerglows, trying to memorize the colors.

Summer’s finger lights up silver, while Tai’s is more of a gold. Ironwood’s fingerglow is a deep blue, and he manages to maintain it for a minute to look at it. Rainne goes through the rest of the group, finishing with Qrow and Raven’s matching red glows.

“The one rule of magic is as follows,” Rainne says once she’s done, waving a hand so that golden letters appear in the air. “Magic follows feeling. When your finger glows, it means you have summoned enough emotion and purpose to perform a spell. Before you enter the Endless Woods, your glows will be locked again so you don’t look like an idiot every time you cast a spell. Until then, we have three types of spells for this year: Water Control, Weather Manipulation, and Mogrification.”

Clover glances at Robyn, who smirks back at him. He knows she’s thinking of the pirates in Jaunt Jolie and how surprised they’ll be to have to fight two shapeshifters.

“Today, we’ll be starting with Mogrification- turning into animals and plants. All it requires is some visualization, and… well, your clothes aren’t going to fit you anymore, so you might as well take them off.”

Any chatter dies down instantly.

“Somehow, I don’t think you’d appreciate that,” Rainne says once she has everyone’s attention, clueless to the sheer horror she’s just put them all through. “So, if any of you think you’ll be able to figure it out on the first try… why don’t you go find yourselves a spot in the forest?”

-

By the end of the week, everyone in Forest Group #5 has figured out how to Mogrify, although some of them are definitely better than others. Qrow and Raven in particular are weirdly good at it, their transformations fast and fluid.

Rainne trudges to the front of the group and waits for the talking to stop so she can start the class. “I hope you’re all ready to practice Mogrifying again.”

“Again?” Raven whispers to Qrow.

“Yes, again,” Rainne says, overhearing her words despite the distance. “The Trial by Tale is fast approaching, and in a few days, your places in it will be cemented. So I’d suggest you listen and do you best in today’s challenge.”

When she reminds them of the Trial by Tale, the group quiets down quickly. Most of them are in the Trial, after all. Raven glares at Glynda as if reminding her that they’ll likely be going into the Blue Forest together. Willow notices the hostile looks and sends her own towards Qrow, who pointedly ignores her.

“It’s not unheard of for students to engage in a battle of mostly Mogrifying during the Trial by Tale,” Rainne begins. “But before we get into practicing for those, how about one more identification challenge?”

Without waiting for anyone to reply, Rainne gestures them all into a group that she turns into identical crows. The only student left untouched is Qrow.

“...Hilarious,” he sighs. “I’m assuming you want me to sort them?”

Rainne nods and steps back. “Just point to them and tell me who’s an Ever and who’s a Never.”

Qrow shuts his eyes and reaches out, overwhelmed by the sudden storm of Good and Evil. He takes a second to get used to it before he finds a familiar Evil presence. “Raven.”

The spell on Raven flickers out, and she stands up and gives him a grin before she walks off. Qrow turns back to the group and shuts his eyes again, knowing he doesn’t have much time before the spell wears off on all of them.

An impossibly Good presence catches his attention, and when he focuses on it, it feels familiar. Qrow can’t suppress a smirk as he opens his eyes and points to a crow. “That one’s Clover.”

“How’d you know?” Clover asks once he’s returned to human form.

Qrow shrugs. “Something about you.” He goes back to the crows, not even bothering to shut his eyes. One of the flock- well, murder- glares at him with such venom despite the Good radiating off of it that he knows who it is. “Glynda.”

He finds Robyn and Fiona next, trying to act inconspicuous in the back of the group. After that, it’s Cinder Fall and Tyrian Callows. Just as he realizes that Jacques isn’t actually a Never and tells Rainne, the spell wears off. 

“Good job,” Rainne smiles, returning to the front of the class. “We’ll probably start class with one of those from now on, but until then, I can’t wait any more. Mogrif battles!” She throws her hands up in the air with just a little too much enthusiasm.

Evers and Nevers file off into the Blue Forest to find a spot to change. Qrow finds a clearing fairly deep in and sits down. He considers his options: it should probably be something small so that he doesn’t rip his clothes, but not too small that he drowns in the fabric or gets eaten by whatever stray creatures are in here.

Finally, Qrow takes a deep breath and focuses on the image of a black cat. His finger doesn’t light up immediately, and he sighs. _Right. Emotion._

Qrow visualizes holiday family dinners, and the sheer frustration from the memories lights his finger a bright red. One second, he sits there fully human, and the next, a black cat leaps out from under his long cape and runs back towards the clearing where Forest Group #5 meets.

As he leaps over the branches, he feels a weight settle on his back. Qrow stops and turns his head as much as he can to see a raven perched on his shoulder. “Seriously?”

Raven cocks her head, squawks, and flies away. He rolls his eyes, knowing that she’s able to understand him. Following his sister, Qrow makes it back to the clearing.

The second he puts a paw into the area, three birds dart by him. He recognizes the teal of Clover’s eyes as his kingfisher form flies past, a robin and a sparrow following him.

The sparrow lands in the middle of the clearing, its wingtip turning a soft pink. It morphs into a sheep that the robin immediately dive-bombs. The Evers and Nevers already in the clearing pause, sure that the two are using this time to fight.

The robin sits up from where it’s nestled into the sheep’s fluff and gives them all a satisfied look so familiar that Qrow knows it’s Robyn. Clover shakes his head.

“Seriously?” The kingfisher sighs.

It’s a very strange experience to hear Clover’s voice come from the beak of a kingfisher, and even stranger because it sounds so… chirpy. Qrow can’t help but laugh, but the sound just comes out as an amused purr.

“You might as well start fighting now, you know!” Rainne calls to them. “I’ll just be over here figuring out your marks.”

Qrow turns to Clover and inclines his head in what he thinks looks like an offer from a very small cat. Clover nods in response and flies over, wing glowing. 

Clover lands as a brown dog and leaps for Qrow, who dodges easily. _How big, exactly, is an albatross?_ He gets his answer when he visualizes one and knocks Clover back with his wings.

Spinning through the air, Clover lands on his paws and- _did he seriously just backflip?_ With a roar so loud that Rainne covers her ears, Clover the lion lunges for him.

“ABORT ABORT ABORT,” Qrow squawks, his wings shrinking and glowing as he turns into a crow that dives under the lion’s paws and perches in a nearby tree.

Clover laughs, the sound a rumbling purr, and leaps up into the tree after him before Qrow can let out a smug squawk. “That was graceful.”

“Thank you for noticing,” Qrow caws back.

Rainne sighs as she watches them. “Okay, then.”

Meanwhile, Robyn and Raven are having issues fighting. Each time one of them shifts, the other has just thought of that and is trying to Mogrify into the same shape. Birds peck at each other, and then cats with their claws sheathed until no one can tell who’s who.

Rainne lets the practice go on for a few more minutes before she calls them all off, sending them back into the Blue Forest to find their clothes and get changed. When Clover emerges, he grins at Qrow, who can’t help but send a similar expression back.

“Please never make me hear you talk as a bird again,” Qrow says to Clover on their way back to the castles.

“Same to you,” Clover retorts. 

Qrow opens his mouth to reply, but at that moment, he hears Raven scream. There’s no fear in her voice, but there certainly is a lot of rage. “I’ll see you later,” he mutters to Clover before running off.

Raven stands in front of the many ranking boards, seething. She turns around to glare at him and points to the top spot where her name has always been. In its place…

“Qrow Branwen of Netherwood,” Qrow reads aloud. “HA!”

“You’re going to be fighting Glynda, you know,” Raven snaps as they head back towards the school. 

“I don’t necessarily have to fight her, but whatever you say, Rae,” Qrow shrugs. “I guess you’re stuck going after Willow?”

His sister studies him for a second. “Actually, no,” she says at last. “I’m fairly sure you can deal with both of them. Which leaves me to go after…” she trails off and turns towards the Evers returning to the School for Good.

Qrow’s eyes fall on Clover first. “Are we really going to be able to kill him in the Trial and make it look like an accident?”

Raven shakes her head. “I don’t think so. But we can use him to win the Trial, and boom, one of us will definitely be Class Captain.”

“Great,” Qrow says with as much enthusiasm as he can muster, which isn’t a lot.

“Look, I know you’re hesitant about this. Don’t even try to deny it. Just remember, he’s not your friend, and if you get a fairy tale with him, he won’t hesitate to cut your head off.”

“Wow, thanks, Rae.”

“Anytime,” she chirps, smirking at him. “Let’s go finish the plans.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just gonna... slide this in here... next update will be in like 3 days because I have to actually work on bewitched


	10. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final practice before the Trial by Tale because anticipation is good.

One week before the Trial by Tale, the nervousness of the top ten Evers has heightened. This week, they’re taking classes specifically to prepare themselves for the Trial.  
Every day at lunch, they gather around the ranking boards to read what they already know and talk about strategy. 

1\. GLYNDA GOODWITCH OF MAIDENVALE  
2\. WILLOW SCHNEE OF FROST PLAINS  
3\. CLOVER EBI OF JAUNT JOLIE  
4\. SUMMER ROSE OF ALTAZARRA  
5\. JAMES IRONWOOD OF FROST PLAINS  
6\. ROBYN HILL OF JAUNT JOLIE  
7\. FIONA THYME OF AVALON TOWERS  
8\. HARRIET BREE OF PASHA DUNES  
9\. TAIYANG XIAO LONG OF ALTAZARRA  
10\. ELM EDERNE OF KINGDOM KYRGIOS

Jacques is no longer on the rankings, which could be good, or it could be bad. On one hand, they don’t have to deal with him during their meetings. On the other, he no longer has a chance of dying in the Trial by Tale. It’s a shame, really.

Meanwhile, the Nevers have barely changed, if they’ve changed at all. Clover can’t remember the exact order, but he’s half sure that Raven was above Qrow before.

1\. QROW BRANWEN OF NETHERWOOD  
2\. RAVEN BRANWEN OF NETHERWOOD  
3\. CINDER FALL OF BLOODBROOK  
4\. TYRIAN CALLOWS OF BLOODBROOK  
5\. ADAM TAURUS OF MAIDEN VALE  
6\. ARTHUR WATTS OF NETTLE FOREST  
7\. HAZEL RAINART OF MURMURING MOUNTAINS  
8\. EVE SILVER OF WOODS BEYOND  
9\. MARROW AMIN OF PIRANHA LAKES  
10\. VINE ZEKI OF MAHADEVA

Clover might be nervous, but he reassures himself that at least he’s not going in as soon as Elm. This does, of course, mean there will be more people in the forest to kill him by the time he gets there, but he tries not to think about that.

In Swordplay & Weapons Training, Glynda and Willow train specifically to fight off Qrow and Raven, respectively. They’ve never seen Qrow fight, but they’ve heard stories about his talent by bribing some of the lower-ranked Nevers.

“He just stood up, and the room started shaking,” the small Never had explained, glancing around the Clearing as if he was sure Qrow would come to kill him. “Everything broke. Things fell off shelves. He wouldn’t tell us what his talent was, but it made everything go wrong.”

Glynda pauses mid-strike, and Willow falters, drawing her sword back just in time. The blonde-haired girl’s arm drops to her side, her eyes lit with a realization.

“What is it, Glynda?” Willow asks once she’s sure Glynda isn’t going to explain on her own. 

“His talent is misfortune,” Glynda gasps.

Everyone knows who she’s referring to. Robyn is the first to speak. “How do you know?”

“I’m not sure,” Glynda murmurs. “But it would fit, wouldn’t it?”

Robyn nods. “I guess it would. And hey, if it is misfortune…” She turns to Clover. “You’ve always been lucky, haven’t you?”

Glynda follows her gaze, green eyes boring into Clover. “Do you think you can face him?”

Clover shakes his head immediately. “No, not at all. Especially if the fire rumors are true.”

“Fine, then. I guess we’ll stick to the plan.” Glynda waves them all away. “Everyone, go back to your training.”

Robyn picks up her sword again and waits for Clover to grab his. She raises hers, but stops before she can swing. Clover doesn’t get a chance to ask her what she’s thinking about as she takes off running towards Professor Lukas, leaving her sword in the dust.

Professor Lukas exchanges a few words with Robyn before he pulls out a long stick and hands it to her. She takes it from his grasp with what Clover thinks is a thank-you before she returns to Clover.

“Here,” Robyn says, tossing him the stick.

Clover reaches up to catch it, and a hook swings around from it. He raises an eyebrow. “A fishing rod? Seriously?”

“You fought well with just one of those in Jaunt Jolie,” Robyn shrugs. “Maybe if you use both…”

“I’ll try it, I guess,” Clover sighs, raising the fishing rod in one hand and the sword in the other. “This feels kind of awkward, though.”

“It doesn’t look much cooler either,” Robyn adds unhelpfully. “Ready?”

She attacks before Clover can nod, as usual. He blocks her sword with his and swings his hook towards the handle of her blade. 

“See? I think you’ll do well,” Robyn says when he yanks the sword out of her grasp. Her eyes focus on something behind him. “How do people like that exist in the Endless Woods?”

Clover follows her gaze to Glynda and Willow, who leap around each other with such skill that he wonders if they could win the Trial by themselves. Glynda ducks under one slash and counters with her own, but Willow leaps backwards, a white snowflake appearing under her slipper.

“No talents,” Glynda shouts to her, amusement shining in her eyes.

“You never made me promise!” Willow flips away from the next strike and points her sword, holding her other hand out. Three snowflake-shaped glyphs materialize over her head, shooting (mostly) blunt icicles at her friend.

“One of them’s going to kill the other,” Clover whispers to Robyn, their fight forgotten. 

Robyn shakes her head. “Willow wouldn’t do that if she didn’t know Glynda could handle it.”

It doesn’t take long for Clover to see that Robyn is right. Glynda smirks as the icicles shoot for her and raises an empty hand. The icicles drop to the ground and shatter, but before anyone can even blink, they rise and shoot for Willow.

Willow growls playfully and shoots a fireball out of another glyph, using her sword to deflect each shard of ice. It’s at this point that Clover’s jaw actually drops. They’re wearing heels. How can they fight so well like that?

“What happens if we can expect this from all of the Nevers?” He asks Glynda and Willow once Willow sweeps Glynda off her feet and holds her sword to her neck.

Glynda takes Willow’s hand and pulls herself up before replying, “Drop your flag, I suppose. Even if the Branwens attack together, I think we can take them.”

She sounds confident in herself, and so does Willow when she agrees, but Clover thinks they might be wrong. He remembers the fear in the Never’s eyes when he explained Qrow’s talent and the legends surrounding the Branwens. Something tells him that it won’t be as easy to take them down as Glynda and Willow seem to think.

At dinner, the top ten Evers sit together at Glynda and Willow’s normal table, leaving no room for Jacques, who tends to stop by. Glynda goes over their goals and strategies, and although it gets boring, it sometimes helps Clover feel just a little more prepared.

Before they can talk about the things they still need to figure out, Glynda stands up and asks, “What do you plan to do about the Branwens?”

Clover, Tai, Robyn, Summer and Fiona exchange glances until Clover speaks up. “We know we can’t trust them, so we’re steering clear and leaving it to you.”

“Good,” Glynda says, using her talent to raise her plate up to her. “Do you think you can handle Cinder Fall?”

“You’ll have your hands full with Qrow and Raven, so I guess I’ll have to,” Clover shrugs. “We don’t know her talent, do we?”

“Something to do with glass,” Willow yawns. “As if Glynda couldn’t match her.”

“But could I match her?”

Willow hesitates. “...Sure.”

Somehow, her voice is not at all reassuring. Clover sighs and returns to his dinner, unable to shake the growing nervousness.

-

Cinder forms a glass spear and hurls it at Raven with a growl, her amber eyes wide as she tries to land a hit. Raven sneers and makes a quick gesture, and the glass weapon clatters to the floor.

“What?” Cinder barks, already forming another spear as she nears.

“You’ll have to try harder than that,” Raven smirks. She catches the next spear with a portal whose twin appears right behind Cinder so that the weapon is poised to impale her.

“Careful, Rae,” Qrow teases as he leaps by, smacking the spear out of the air while he dodges Tyrian’s attacks. “We can’t eliminate our own allies yet.”

Raven rolls her eyes and hurls Cinder’s spear back at her despite the fact that the glass should be blazing hot. “They’re not that helpful either way, you know.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Adam snaps, moving away from his fight with Hazel to try to punch Raven in the back.

Her arm snaps up and catches his wrist inches from her dress. Raven turns and raises an eyebrow, disdain in every line of her face before she kicks him between his legs, flips over Cinder’s sword, and punches her in the eye.

Qrow throws Tyrian by the braid after Cinder and stops by his sister to high-five her. “We’re going to win this Trial, aren’t we?”

“Together, we definitely will,” Raven replies.

_Together_ has never been how Evil works, and they both know it. But they’re the Branwen twins after all. Maybe they’ll be the first. Qrow definitely hopes they will.

Shooting his sister a smile, Qrow leaps back into the battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry I just keep updating this, don't I. the trial starts next update, and knowing me, that'll be either tomorrow or the day after that. *casually slides in graphic depictions of violence tag* I don't think it's as bad this time, but for now... you've been warned.


	11. The Trial by Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I spend half of the chapter giving everyone dramatic entrances and only then do I start the Trial. and kingfisher- I mean, clover's fishing rod, makes an appearance because I had to.... this chapter and the next contain a lot, and I mean a lot, of backstabbing ;))))))

A crowd of Evers and Nevers gathers in the Clearing as the sun starts to set, dressed in their pajamas and carrying blankets and pillows. For them, the Trial by Tale is one giant slumber party. For the competitors, it’s far worse.

From the tower looming over them, green light shoots from the window, landing in the center of the Clearing. Evers and Nevers shout in surprise until Ozpin materializes, holding his cocoa with a slight frown on his face.

“Good evening, everyone,” he says to the stunned crowd. “As you may or may not know, I am Professor Ozpin, your School Master.”

Some of the Evers start clapping, a few confused Nevers following along. Most of the students of the School for Evil just sigh, recognizing the signs of what seems to be a Good School Master.

“There are very few rules to the Trial by Tale, but it is important that you know all of them,” Ozpin explains. “Well, this is more for your challengers, to be precise.

“At the moment the sun sets, the tenth-place Ever and the tenth-place Never will enter the Blue Forest. In years past, we had fifteen challengers from each school. This year, we have ten for each side.”

He pauses to allow surprised murmurs to spread over the crowd before continuing on. “Every fifteen minutes, one pair will enter the forest according to their pre-Trial ranks until the number one Ever and Never enters the forest.

“Once inside, Nevers may attack with talents and spells learned in class, while Evers may defend themselves with approved weapons and counterspells. My conjures will hunt them both.

“Should any challenger find themselves in mortal danger, they have the option to drop their enchanted handkerchief. The moment this handkerchief- white for Evers, red for Nevers- touches the ground, they will be safely transported out of the forest and removed from the Trial.”

His grave eyes scan over them all as they turn to look for their challengers. “This will be their only way out.”

In a flash, the seriousness is gone. “Of course, winning the Trial would also provide an escape,” Ozpin says, his tone much lighter despite the subject. “Upon the first glint of sunlight, the gates will be opened, and any challenger that returns through them will be named the winner. There has never been more than one winner, and quite often, there are none at all.”

The sound of boots on the Ever side causes both schools to gasp and turn towards the Tunnel of Trees on their side. No one emerges. Yet.

“Students of the School for Good and Evil, I give you your challengers,” Ozpin says, holding out an arm towards the Tunnel of Trees.

Elm steps out first to the cheers of her side, grinning. She waves to a small group of Evergirls at the edge of the crowd and lines up next to the gates, holding a shield in one hand and a club in the other. 

On the other side of the clearing, Vine slides out of the tunnel, his blue cloak fluttering in the wind as he accepts the cheers of his side. He stands on the other side of the gates, glaring at Elm with a surprising lack of venom.

Tai and Marrow enter next to even louder cheers, each of them fidgeting with their dark blue Trial cloaks. They smile at their sides and line up next to Elm and Vine. Tai keeps a hand on his sword, as if he’s afraid it’ll disappear. Marrow practically bounces with excitement, earning a frustrated look from Vine.

With her usual lack of dramatics, Harriet zips over to the line and stands next to Tai, waving to the crowd. She checks her sword, shield, and cape, all three of them things that the last Evergirls to enter the Trial didn’t have. The School for Good has changed since its last group of students, but it hasn’t changed that much. 

While the Evers cheer for Harriet, a girl slides out from her Tunnel of Trees, gaze cold and uncaring. Her side screams and claps, but she only acknowledges it with a nod before she stands next to Marrow. Eve Silver of Woods Beyond gives Marrow a faint, sly smile and leans against the wall of the school, looking as unbothered as can be.

Fiona appears next, quivering as she pulls a too-large cloak around her shoulders. She takes a deep breath to steel herself, and when she walks over to stand beside Harriet, she looks as calm as Eve. The white-haired girl carries a spear strapped to her back along with her shield, which she seems to be hiding behind.

A hulking boy lines up for Evil- Hazel Rainart, with a Trial cloak that seems far too small. Eve doesn’t even flinch as he crosses his arms and lets out a breath, glaring at Evers and Nevers alike.

Robyn waves as she walks into the Clearing, a smile on her face despite the occasional shiver that travels down her spine. When she reaches Fiona’s side, she squeezes her hand before checking the crossbow strapped to her wrist. The Evers cheer even louder as Robyn bows, her confident expression never disappearing.

Arthur Watts walks out next, and a few Evers even boo. He rolls his eyes at them and pulls his cloak closer to himself. It’s been modified so that it has a fur hood, which is probably a good idea in the cold wind.

James Ironwood and Adam appear next, and while the crowd claps, they sound less excited. Sienna leaps up from the Ever side when she sees Adam and boos so loudly that he flinches, much to her amusement. A dark-haired Evergirl gives her a high-five.

Trial cloak nowhere to be seen, Summer appears next, still wearing her classic white hood. It has a strange soft sheen to it, and if anyone gets close enough, they can see that this cloak seems to have something woven through it in sparkling silver patterns. Unicorn hair, if her heritage is to be believed.

Tyrian enters, braid whipping in the wind as he leers at the Evers. Evergirls shrink under his gaze, but a few just glare back. A girl with blue hair and golden eyes shouts something at him that a princess should never say, earning disdainful looks from her teachers.

The next pair takes a while to enter as the Evers and Nevers lean forward in anticipation, the other challengers forgotten. Finally, someone steps forward.

Clover can’t hide his smile when his side bursts into cheers for him. He waves, and although it has less spirit than Robyn’s, the Evers cheer even louder. When he gets into the line, he reaches across a few Evers to give Robyn a high-five. Clover looks only a little nervous, but anyone close enough can see how his grin keeps faltering. Taking a deep breath, he checks his sword and straps his shield to his back to prepare for the long wait.

The Evers quiet down when the Nevers start screaming. Cinder Fall sweeps in as slowly and dramatically as she can, fixing each of her competitors with a paralyzing glare. Glass ornaments clink on her cloak, ornaments that she’ll surely be turning into weapons later.

White hair shimmers in the dying rays of the sun as Willow enters, a wide smile on her face as she accepts the cheers of the crowd. She’s an actual princess, and it shows in her unfaltering portrait of confidence.

Raven doesn’t bother to try to be dramatic. She doesn’t even walk out of the Tunnel of Trees- one second, there are eight Nevers lining up, and the next, a red portal opens and she steps out. Her cloak is red, not blue, a fact which Willow notices immediately, her eyes narrowing as she memorizes the distinct shade.

Glynda arrives to the screams of her side, pushing her glasses up, her hair in a high ponytail. She takes one look at the footwear of the Evergirls, which are still the fragile pink heels from their uniform. With a snap of her glowing fingers, she conjures boots on their feet.

“Thank the gods,” Robyn sighs, but she’s drowned out by the screams of the Nevers.

The Nevers leap to their feet to applaud Qrow, his only cloak still his long red cape. He doesn’t stop to pose- if he did, it would look more like a fashion show than a Trial entrance. Qrow nods to Raven and stands next to her, red eyes sweeping over the crowd.

Once the Nevers have finally gone silent, Ozpin clears his throat and speaks again, this time to the wolves and fairies that attend each side. “The handkerchiefs, if you will.”

The wolves hand out red scraps to the Nevers, who tuck them inside their boots and pockets. Meanwhile, the fairies fly to the Evers, each of them handing them a white handkerchief.

As Clover tucks his handkerchief into his inside pocket, the sun finishes setting, sending darkness over the assembled Evers and Nevers. They gasp in excitement as Elm and Vine stand up straight. The gates slide open.

“The Trial by Tale begins now,” Ozpin says over the crowd, his voice louder than it should be.

Elm and Vine enter the Blue Forest, and the gates shudder closed again. The two schools wait in anticipation to see if either of them drops their flags.

By the time Tai and Marrow enter, no one has returned to the Clearing from the Blue Forest. Pairs go by in a flash. Finally, Robyn waves goodbye to him and slips through the gates, breaking into a run the second her feet touch the ground on the other side.

Sparks shoot into the air, and Marrow appears on the ground, his Trial cloak suspiciously missing. He pants as he lowers a hand from his neck, and his fingers come away stained with blood.

The teachers converge on him, but Clover doesn’t even get to see if he’s okay as the gates open again. Adam and James enter the Blue Forest next, the gates slamming shut behind them. Clover suppresses a shiver when he realizes there’s only one person left before him.

“I guess it’s too late to use the bathroom,” Summer shrugs, staring blankly out of the gates.

Sparks appear twice in rapid succession in the air over the forest. The students turn to look as James and Hazel collapse in the clearing. James hisses, hand reaching out for his legs, which are twisted at odd angles. Hazel looks to be in better shape until he flips over, revealing a large burn on his back.

At first, Clover assumes it’s from Cinder, or, if the rumors are true, Qrow or Raven. He realizes that he can’t be right, considering how they’re all waiting in line to enter the forest. “Ozpin’s obstacles must be dangerous, huh?”

Willow nods, her composure cracking just the faintest bit to allow her to shiver. “We’ll be ready for it,” she says firmly, confidence returning.

He hopes so, because the next thing he knows, he’s being pushed into the forest. The last person he sees is Qrow as they shoot each other nervous grins, and then the gates slam behind him.

-

Clover steps through the Blue Forest, unnerved by the lack of sounds. He tries to move as quietly as possible, well aware that he can be attacked from any angle. Should I Mogrify now? Eventually, he decides against it. He’s not the most stealthy, but he feels more comfortable in his own form.

As he slips past tree after tree, scanning the area for movement that can’t be caused by the wind, he hears the gates move again. He glances backwards, trying to remember who’s next.

_Willow and Raven._

A shiver travels down his spine at the thought of Raven and the power she’s rumored to have. Clover shakes his head and takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly. _Willow’s powerful. She’ll be fine._

As he thinks it, sparks shoot into the sky. Clover peeks out of the thicket he’s in so he can see the sky, where two giant scoreboards hover. Nothing changes on the Never ranking board, where only Marrow and Hazel are missing.

That leaves the Ever board. Clover turns around just in time to watch Harriet and Elm’s names go dark on the scoreboard. Even as he watches, more sparks go up, this time signifying Vine dropping out.

Panicked, Clover picks up his pace, not caring about the sound he makes as he rushes through. Yesterday, they had been given the opportunity to scout the Blue Forest, and he and Robyn had decided on a meeting point. With luck, she’s already there.

Clover breaks out of the treeline and rushes to the brook they’d chosen. As he nears it, he sees Robyn’s blonde hair poking out from behind a large tree trunk. “Robyn!” he shouts, immediately realizing that he just gave them both away to any nearby Nevers.

“Clover!” Robyn yells louder than him, sitting up. Her face is dirty, and there’s a shallow cut on her cheek, but she seems fine otherwise. “I just got Vine! My aim’s still pretty good, if I do say so myself.”

“You _shot_ him?”

“He was fine. Professor Lukas blunted all of these.” Robyn gestures to her crossbow. “Did you see anyone out there?”

Clover shakes his head, but he draws his sword as he approaches her, suddenly feeling like he’s being watched. “No, and that’s what worries me more. There’s still six Nevers out there, including Raven.”

Robyn snorts. “Willow can handle her.”

Glancing up, Clover’s just in time to see Qrow and Glynda’s names appear on their respective boards. “Let’s move. Do you remember the way to the cave we were going to hide in?”

“Actually, I was thinking we could maybe see if we could fight off a few more of the Nevers,” Robyn suggests hopefully. “We can probably handle some of them, especially if we’re together.”

“Isn’t it better not to risk it?”

“This is only the first Trial by Tale, and there’s another this year! It’ll be fine.”

Clover sighs, thinking over Robyn’s words. Before he can answer her, he catches a flash of white moving behind her. “Robyn!”

Robyn leaps over the log completely as a crog snaps at where her ankles just were, twisting around in midair to attack. She doesn’t get the chance to aim her crossbow, though, because the crog moves with blinding speed to snap at her again.

Suddenly glad he has his sword in his hand, Clover drives the point through the crocodile-like creature’s head. It roars and dies, its spikes already flying everywhere.

“FU-”Robyn gets cut off as she lands hard in the creek with a loud splash, avoiding all of the crog’s spikes. Luckily, this cuts off her scream, but it’s still very, very loud.

Despite the circumstances, as he ducks behind his Trial cloak, Clover can’t help but laugh at his friend. She stands up once the spikes have stopped flying and sighs.

“Those were the ones that are supposed to hate girls, right?”

Clover nods.

“Sexist,” Robyn snaps, kicking the crog’s dead body.

He’s about to tell her that it’s already dead and that she should just leave it alone when he hears it. A faint, rasping laugh in the trees. Before Robyn can even step out of the creek, he yanks his sword out of the crog and points it towards the blue trees.

“I know you’re there,” Clover snarls.

“Oh, really,” the voice simpers, distinctly female despite the strange rasping quality. “I had no idea.”

Robyn stands up, pointing her crossbow. That’s no friendly voice, and both of them know it.

Leaves crunch under the stranger’s foot as they make no attempt to hide their approach. Robyn fires towards the sound, but they don’t hear anything connect. The clumsy shot elicits another laugh accompanied by the clinking of… glass?

“Duck!” Clover shouts, dropping behind the tree trunk. As he moves, glass daggers shoot by him, embedding themselves in the riverbank.

A duck drops to the ground behind him, its eyes wide with alarm. “Oops,” Robyn the duck squawks. “Can you kick her ass so I can change back?”

Sighing, Clover waits for the next round of daggers before he tries to figure out where Cinder is. He hears a splash and sits up immediately, realizing how close she is.

He leaps up, sword extended to block Cinder’s first strike. Her eyes widen in surprise as the swords collide, metal against glass. Clover wonders briefly if he can shatter it before he realizes that she’s clearly able to reshape her weapons.

Cinder spins and strikes again, the final ornaments on her cape turning into another sword. Clover staggers backwards, trying to deflect both at once. One of her blades catches his cloak as he steps on a stick.

_This works_ , he thinks to himself, ducking under Cinder’s swords to pick up the sick. To his surprise, it’s as sturdy as he could have hoped, and- is this a fishing rod?

“A fishing rod?” Cinder sneers. “I have two swords, and you’re fighting me off with _that?_ ” She gestures to Clover’s weapons.

Clover looks down and notices a strange edge to his sword as if it’s been melted away. _It’s not just glass she can melt_ , he realizes as she swings again.

Robyn the duck leaps up and runs for her Trial cloak where it’s been draped over the tree trunk. She sticks her neck through it, looking ridiculous, as she turns back into a human.

The first strike of the pitchfork catches them by surprise as Robyn yanks it out of the mud and stabs at Cinder. She backs up, and so does Clover, neither of them having expected the weapon to come from nowhere.

With only her Trial cloak covering her, Robyn jabs again, sending a remorseful glance at the crossbow currently with the rest of her clothes. Cinder’s daggers rip themselves out of the tree and hurtle towards Robyn, forcing her to try to deflect them.

Clover blocks another strike, but as he kicks Cinder away, sparks erupt in the sky. Tai’s name goes dark on the scoreboard. Distracted, Clover, looks up to watch his friend’s name disappear.

Robyn curses and hurls her pitchfork at Cinder, who barely manages to knock it away. She seems to immediately regret it, now weaponless as Cinder throws the pitchfork back, prongs poised to impale her.

With a well-placed cast, Clover manages to catch the pitchfork’s prong. He shouldn’t be so fast, but he doesn’t question it as he pulls it aside. Unfortunately, the maneuver leaves him open to Cinder’s attack.

Cinder pushes his sword arm aside and swings down towards his neck. The world seems to slow down as the blade approaches, and that’s when Clover realizes that these Nevers really might intend to kill him.

Clover raises his fishing rod just in time and kicks her away again. Cinder growls as she slides across the ground, coming to a stop beside some of her daggers. She looks down and smirks, raising a hand so that the daggers all lift into the air at once. Her swords melt and become even more of the small blades, becoming a bristling mass of glass.

“Clover!” Robyn cries, but she can’t do anything. She runs forward anyway, maybe intending to tackle him to safety, but it’s not enough.

Red light explodes between him and Cinder. Two things happen at once- Cinder trips, and she shoots her daggers a little too early. Some of them shatter as they fly through the red portal that appears between them, but all of them reappear behind Cinder and continue their course.

With a loud cry of pain, Cinder collapses. Clover falls backward, and as he pushes himself up, he looks for the new threat.

A boot pushes one of the daggers farther into Cinder’s arm as it tramples her, causing the Never to scream and jerk under the sole. Its owner reaches down and rips the handkerchief from her pocket, pinning it to the ground. Sparks explode in the air- but not just for Cinder. Fiona’s name flickers out at the same time as Cinder’s, but not even Robyn can really notice as she stares.

Raven turns around with a smile, wiping her boot on the grass to get rid of the blood. She sheathes her sword- where did she get a sword?- and waves. 

“Hey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all know what's happening next ;)


	12. With Friends Like These

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> look I have one word for you and it's backstabbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nice job to Rhi for catching the signs that Qrow was close by, now buckle up everyone this is a wild ride

Clover and Robyn make their way through the forest, Raven following behind them. As they walk, sparks shoot up into the sky to signal the rapid decline in the Nevers still in the Trial. Each time one of their names goes dark, they turn to Raven, expecting her to react.

The only reaction they ever get is a secretive smile as she stares at her brother’s name, still lit up on the board. The only other name on the Never board besides hers and Qrow’s is Eve Silver, whose name glows near the bottom. Raven rolls her eyes at it as they walk in no particular direction, having decided to try to find other competitors.

He wonders for a while about whether or not it’s actually a good idea to trust Raven despite the warnings of the other Evers, but each second of doubt makes him feel guilty. They’re _friends_ , and she saved his life. They can trust her.

Somehow, they end up moving towards the gates. Even though they walk for what feels like hours, they find no one. 

Finally, the three of them come across a figure in a blue Trial cloak. Raven smirks at them as she passes by and calls out, “Hello?”

There’s no response, so they move closer. Clover puts a hand on his sword as they approach. Something doesn’t feel right.

The figure turns, revealing a beaklike face and razor sharp claws as it lunges for Raven. She flips backward and slashes at it, but wings snap open on its back and it shoots away.

“Shit,” Raven mutters, backing up towards Clover and Robyn. “A harpy. If there’s one-”

A shriek splits the air as seven more rise from the trees in a swarm of beating wings and furious cries. “-There’s more,” Raven finishes.

Robyn raises her pitchfork in one hand and her crossbow in the other, trying to aim at the harpies as they swoop through the air. Clover pulls out both the sword and his fishing rod, no matter how weirdly Raven looks at him.

“Don’t get too far away,” Raven warns, and then the swarm is upon them.

Clover’s sword cuts into the arm of one, but he doesn’t get to attack again as two more swipe at him with razor-sharp claws. The one wearing the Trial cloak manages to scratch him through his glove, its other claws already covered in dried blood.

_Marrow wasn’t wearing a Trial cloak when he came back,_ Clover realizes as he ducks more swipes. Small red portals cause the harpies to slash themselves, but it’s not enough to save him from more scratches

“Clover, a little help here!” Robyn shouts, swinging wildly at four harpies. 

Raven turns away from beheading the one she’s fighting and streaks for Robyn, her sword plunging into the back of another harpy. Clover staggers away from the unrelenting harpies and cuts deep into the bony wrist of one, the others immediately taking its place.

The Nevergirl kills another one before Robyn falls to the ground. She leans down to help her up, but as she does, one of the remaining harpies slashes Robyn across the back.

With a shout of mixed surprise and pain, Robyn crumples to the ground, panting hard. Raven doesn’t help her up as she runs back to Clover to help him with his opponents.

Clover catches a glimpse of Raven’s sword as she comes to help him, seeing the blood covering it. Some of it is dried, and some of it is new. He doesn’t have much time to think about who Raven might have hurt before she pushes him away and slashes at another harpy.

_If she wasn’t here, we’d be dead,_ Clover thinks. As he slips and tumbles to the ground, he watches Raven kill the last ones with surprising ease. She’s surprisingly powerful, fire or no fire.

When the last harpy has been dispatched, Raven sheathes her sword and turns to Clover to help him up. “Robyn’s hurt,” she tells him, but the urgency in her voice sounds forced.

Together, they run over to Robyn, who has several jagged wounds across her arms and shoulders along with a long, clean slice on her back. Raven reaches down, her finger hovering an inch away from Robyn’s wound.

“Are you okay?” Raven asks. Clover feels bad for doubting her concern when he hears the obvious note in her question.

“Yeah, I’m-” Robyn hisses as she tries to sit up. “I’ll be fine.”

Clover doesn’t expect Raven to turn to him, but she does as she whispers to him, “Maybe we should send her back.”

“What?” Clover asks, but as he stares at Robyn’s injuries, he realizes that Raven’s right. If she can’t sit up, he doubts she’ll be able to fight. “Yeah, maybe.”

Robyn eyes them suspiciously, straining to hear their conversation. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Robyn,” Clover begins warily, moving slowly towards her. “You should probably go back.”

Sitting up with a gasp of pain, Robyn stares at him in horror. “No! Why would I do that?”

“You’re hurt, Robyn,” Clover explains as gently as he can. “Like you said, there’s another Trial later this school year. You can try again there, right?”

“I’m not leaving you with _her,_ ” Robyn scoffs. “She’ll probably stab you the second your back is turned!”

Raven rolls her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway, and stabbing isn’t my style.”

“Right. _Slashing_ is.” Robyn frowns as if she’s contemplating something. “But no. I’m not going back now. It’ll only be a little longer, right? Not many people are left.”

“Robyn, there’s plenty of people left,” Clover says. “Eve’s still out there, and this place is crawling with monsters. I really don’t want to do this, okay?” He reaches towards her boot, seeing the handkerchief peeking out.

“No!” Robyn scrambles backwards, and Clover hesitates. “Leave me alone!”

While he’s trying to make up his mind, Raven knocks him aside and lunges for the handkerchief. Robyn tries to kick her, but Clover holds her leg down, whispering an apology as Raven rips the cloth out and pins it to the ground.

Sparks explode overhead as Robyn fades from sight, horror in her gaze. It’s not at all directed at Clover- it’s all focused on Raven as she stands up and turns to him, her eyes wide and sad.

Clover opens his mouth-

Raven’s red eyes turn malicious in a heartbeat. “That was a mistake.”

“What?” 

The Never leaps for his handkerchief, and Clover rolls backwards as fast as he can, coming to a stop and standing once he’s far enough from Raven. She glowers at him, a hand on her sword.

“Raven, please,” he says, but deep down, he can tell it’s no use. Any kindness she’s shown him has to be a lie by the sudden change in demeanor. The way she glares at him feels more natural, as if she was only pretending before. Clover backs up, brandishing his sword. “Was all of that just a trick to win the Trial?”

“Observant of you,” Raven sneers, drawing her red blade. “And of course it was. Haven’t you heard the stories? Princes and princesses can’t be friends with _witches._ ”

“So?” Clover snaps, swinging first. She blocks it with ease as he continues, “I thought we didn’t care about those stories!”

“It never works out in the end,” Raven replies. “I’ll admit, Qrow wasn’t so sure about you. But he was wrong, and I was right- typical.”

They exchange a few more blows until their swords are crossed again. Clover’s Trial cloak suddenly feels too heavy and unwieldy as Raven kicks at him and he’s forced to jump away.

Clover’s sure that under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t say anything like this. But these aren’t normal circumstances. Not at all. “You know what else never works out? Villains working together! You think you’ll be allies despite your own natures, don’t you? If this friendship ends like this, it’s not going to work with your brother either. Haven’t you ever thought of that?”

Raven meets his eyes, unflinching under his words. “Aw, the Everboy’s upset his new friends were villains like they were supposed to be all along! You _idiot._ ”

“We could have worked together, you know,” Clover snarls, bringing out his fishing rod to yank her sword away.

“Sorry, Clover. Sometimes your friends disappoint you like that.”

“Don’t you dare call yourself my _friend._ ”

Raven shrugs. “If you insist.”

She grabs his fishing rod and squeezes. The wood starts to smoke, and in the blink of an eye, it erupts into flame. Clover stumbles away, eyes wide with shock, and she slashes a shallow cut across his arm.

“I still can’t believe you let me walk behind you,” Raven taunts. “And you let me help with Robyn too! Did it ever even occur to you that it’s my fault she’s not here to help?”

There’s no time to reply as Raven swings towards his neck. It’s eerily reminiscent of Cinder trying to kill him earlier that evening, but this time, Clover’s sword is too far down.

_There was no Good in her after all_ , Clover thinks, his eyes shutting as he waits for the blade to pierce his flesh. This is it. He’d been stupid enough to trust her, and now he’ll pay for it.

The pain never comes as a third person drives them apart with the loud sound of metal screeching across metal. Clover’s eyes snap open to find Qrow standing between them, a rusty scythe in his hands. His hair is pushed back to keep it out of his eyes- has he done that before? Clover doesn’t think so, but he has to admit, it looks… never mind.

He almost thinks Qrow’s here to save him until two pairs of cold red eyes turn to him. “Careful, Rae,” Qrow says, his voice calm and uncaring. “We don’t want to kill him today.”

“I know,” Raven snaps. “Step aside. He’s mine.”

Clover meets Qrow’s eyes, forcing every scrap of desperation into his gaze. _Please, Qrow. We’re friends, aren’t we?_ He knows the answer. They weren’t friends at all, and even if they were, it seems he’s going to be fighting a lot of his friends.

“Fine,” Qrow sighs, and every last bit of hope drains out of Clover. He lowers his scythe and walks to the side, emotionless gaze turning back to watch. For a second, Clover thinks he sees a hint of sadness, but then it’s over.

Raven attacks before he can blink in a whirlwind of red. Clover backs up even more, trying hopelessly to block each blow. They tear at his uniform and his cloak, and he remembers the shield he carried into the Trial at last.

Clover turns and lets her next strike cut through his cloak and hit the shield strapped to his back. Taking advantage of her surprise, he spins and slashes across her shoulder.

Hissing, Raven takes a step back. Clover steps forward, swinging wildly, catching her on the side.

His luck runs out around then as Raven gets her bearings and attacks back, faster than before, until he’s forced to back up again as he tries to defend himself from her storm of attacks. Raven just moves faster and faster, until she starts diving into portals and reappearing behind him. After a while, she even figures out which parts the shield covers.

Clover wants to Mogrify, but Raven’s so fast and agile that he doubts it would matter. At least he knows how to function on his own two feet, and there’s the issue of focusing enough to change anyway.

With blood dripping from his sides and arms, Clover finally staggers, and Raven slashes a long cut across his stomach. By the way she aims, he can tell it was supposed to be a deep cut, but the rock that appeared in her path prevented her from making a smooth slash. 

Still, the wound is enough. Clover cries out and crashes to the ground, rolling slightly down the slope away from his enemy.

Raven takes her time to advance, and that’s when he sees it. His scorched fishing rod, not too far away, and the cloth peeking out of her boot. Slowly, trying not to attract her attention, Clover reaches for it, inching closer.

“See you after the Trial,” Raven says in an impression of her kind voice that’s long gone. Her sword pierces his pocket, and she rips the white handkerchief out, holding it over him. “Thanks for the help.”

Clover moves at the same time as her, using the fishing rod to yank the red cloth from her shoes.

Raven’s handkerchief hits the ground first, but Clover still has to watch his own drift down to the ground, just out of his reach. He hears footsteps and remembers Qrow too late, only having time to hope he doesn’t get his scythe in before he disappears.

A pale hand reaches out and snatches the handkerchief out of the air.

-

Qrow’s fingers wrap around his friend’s handkerchief in the nick of time, keeping it just off the ground. He lifts it up, staring at it for a second. This is it. He’s already eliminated Glynda and Willow, and he knows Eve was heading after the remaining challengers. With luck, they’ll get rid of each other. All he has to do is eliminate Clover.

He tucks the cloth into his pocket.

Clover pulls himself to his feet, every movement, every breath an effort. Holding one hand over the long cut in his stomach, he raises his sword.

The Everboy’s sleeves are destroyed, the thin scraps of fabric showing the blood dripping over rippling muscle. Despite his wounds, Clover glares at him, ready to keep fighting. Sweat mixed with blood gleams on his brow in the faint light as he barely manages to keep standing. Clover tilts his head up so he’s looking down on Qrow, the moonlight illuminating his teal eyes.

Even with everything going on, Qrow can’t help but stare. The pain and determination in Clover’s eyes, combined with the fact that he’s _still_ standing, makes him look so… so…

_He looks like a real fairytale prince._

Qrow shakes his head, trying to get out of his thoughts to return to the issue at hand. He tries to give Clover his best sneer, but it comes out too half-hearted. Qrow raises an eyebrow. “You think you can beat me in that state? You saw Raven. She barely even used her fire, and look at what happened to you. You can’t go another round.”

Clover stands firm.

“I _did_ warn you,” Qrow sighs. He lifts his scythe and slashes once, twice, each strike drawing blood. Clover staggers away, but he can barely even lift his sword to block it. Qrow has to stop as he looks at his friend, bloody and terrified.

The ground cracks under Clover’s feet, and Qrow looks down sharply. He tries to rein in his talent, knowing that it must be the cause of this. Even as he tries, the ground shuts again, and Clover doesn’t even look surprised.

_Huh. That’s new._

Qrow looks up at Clover, who waits for him to move. He raises his scythe, and Clover flinches. At that moment, looking at the hopeless expression on his friend’s face, Qrow makes his choice.

The scythe drops to the floor.

Clover still stares at him warily as if he expects it to be a trick. He doesn’t seem like he wants to drop his sword, but the next thing he knows, the blade falls and Clover slumps forward.

“Easy, easy,” Qrow murmurs as he rushes forward to catch Clover and lean him against a nearby tree. As an afterthought, he grabs the end of the scythe he stole from one of the animated scarecrows and pulls it back to him in case they’re attacked.

Even in his terrible state, Clover still reaches for Qrow’s red handkerchief. Qrow reaches out and pins his wrist to the ground, shaking his head. “Don’t bother.” He pauses before he asks, “Do you want me to send you back?”

“If you’re not going to try to kill me,” Clover mumbles, the exhaustion catching up to him, “Then no.”

“Don’t tell Raven about this,” Qrow says in answer, giving him a wink. _Gods, I just winked at him. I need to stop._

Even as he’s impressed by Clover’s determination, he remembers what he’s almost done to him. In a rush of pity and shame, Qrow’s finger lights up a deep red. He remembers the gesture he and Raven learned in the library, shuts his eyes, and flicks his wrist.

By Clover’s surprised gasp, he knows he’s succeeded. Qrow opens his eyes and checks the bandages that have just appeared around Clover’s wound. They look fine to him, so long as he ignores the blood that immediately starts to spread.

As Qrow stands up, leaning his scythe on his shoulder, Clover asks, “Why?”

“Why did we manipulate you, why didn’t Raven realize we could be friends, or why didn’t I attack like she did?”

Clover thinks for a second. “All of those.”

 _We wanted to kill you._ “We wanted to win the Trial. Raven can be…” _a little bitch._ “...stubborn.” Qrow sighs, glad that Robyn isn’t here to call him out. “You’re my friend. By all accounts, a prince shouldn’t be friends with a witch, but you’re clearly not a prince.”

“Should I be offended?”

“Take a guess.”

“Thanks.” Clover smiles at him, stretching to grab his sword before giving up.

Qrow snorts, but he’s not wrong. Before he can respond, he hears someone trudging through the leaves. With his scythe at the ready, Qrow takes a step towards the sound, nudging Clover’s sword to him in case he needs it.

When he sees their enemy, he lowers his weapon. Summer traipses through the forest without a care in the world, munching on one of her cookies. Qrow doesn’t know if he should laugh or frown. How did she even get those into the Trial?

Silver eyes meet his. Qrow stiffens at the dark suspicion in Summer’s gaze, but it’s gone as soon as he notices. She gives him a friendly wave and walks in the opposite direction, missing Clover in the high bushes. Summer looks like she’s calm, but he doesn’t miss the hand on her sword. Only when she disappears in the trees do he and Clover relax.

It’s too soon. Summer starts to scream, and before Qrow can look over to Clover to see if he’ll be okay alone, sparks appear in the air and her name darkens on the scoreboard. One long minute later, Eve’s name goes dark.

Qrow turns back to Clover, not releasing his scythe. “You’re okay with sharing the victory?”

“There’s never been two winners before,” Clover replies. “I guess we’ll be the first.”

“Right.” Qrow sits down next to Clover, laying his scythe on the ground. He pulls out the white handkerchief from his pocket and holds it out to his friend. “The sun rises in five minutes.”

Clover reaches out for it, smiling weakly. Despite his exhaustion, his teal eyes still shine. _Did they always sparkle like that?_ Qrow wonders before he realizes where he is. A cold wind shakes the trees as if to remind them there’s still a few more minutes before sunrise.

“Thanks, by the way.”

The words surprise Qrow as he glances at his friend. “What for?”

“Not killing me,” Clover shrugs. “I mean, after Raven, I kind of expected you to…”

“Ah.” Qrow nods, but his mind is elsewhere.

He’s running out of time. Qrow steels himself, knowing his eyes are flashing a hostile red as he grabs his scythe again. He forces himself to meet Clover’s eyes and says as plainly as he can, “Sorry.”

Just before Clover can take the handkerchief, Qrow throws it to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)


	13. Nemesis Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama? In chapter 13? _never_

The Clearing buzzes with anticipation as Evers and Nevers wait, keeping their eyes on the sky. The Evers sprawl out across their blankets and pillows and the Nevers just sit on the grass, all of them nervous but excited all the same. Each time one of their challengers appears in front of them, they sigh while the other side cheers. Together, they watch the names on the scoreboard blink out one by one.

On the Never side, Marrow sits alone, visibly crestfallen. His blood is half-dried on his neck, but the wound is gone. He watches the Evers cry out as Glynda and Willow appear at the same time, red drenching their uniforms.

The Evers swarm the two, but the teachers push them away. Marrow sighs as the teachers heal them, sending a glance at his own side. The jealousy on his face makes it clear what kind of treatment he received when he returned from the Trial.

Harriet sits down next to him, handing him a mug. There’s nothing too kind in her eyes, but as he takes the mug, she asks, “Harpies?”

“Harpies,” Marrow sighs. Harriet gives him a pat on the back, her facial expression shifting to reveal understanding. Her hand twitches towards the already-healed scratch across her chest, but she lowers it quickly.

Robyn drops into the grass and immediately falls back, groaning. Her arm shifts to reveal blood soaking through her cloak, prompting the teachers to converge on her. She doesn’t even look at them, but sends a furious glance to the top Nevers’ scoreboard, where Qrow and Raven’s names are still shining.

“Are you okay?” Fiona gasps as she crouches beside Robyn, dried blood coating her arms and dress. 

“Yeah,” Robyn pants as the teachers heal her wounds, face twisting with pain. “But Clover- he- we were with Raven. I’m afraid…”

Fiona looks up to the scoreboard and back down again. “We knew something was up once Willow and Glynda came back. They said they ran into Qrow and Raven, but she ran off while he fought them. Was she the one who eliminated you?”

Robyn nods. “She’s going to attack him, I can tell. And wherever she goes, Qrow can’t be far behind. If Glynda’s right about his talent, he was there with us. Following.”

“How do you know?”

“My aim’s better than that,” Robyn snorts.

Fiona helps her up as the teachers leave, shaking her head. “And there’s no possible way for you to have, I don’t know, just been nervous? Maybe it wasn’t bad luck at all.”

“Clover’s going to have to deal with both of them,” Robyn insists. “And I’m afraid he won’t walk away from it. Raven alone is-”

Bright red sparks interrupt her words. Robyn spins and watches them fade out, her eyes slowly drifting to the scoreboard. On cue, Raven’s name goes dark.

Screams of shock ripple through the Nevers as Raven appears in the Clearing, on her feet and barely harmed. Her sword nearly decapitates Cinder Fall as she staggers forward, growling. The shock turns to dismay as Raven composes herself, sheathing the sword that she shouldn’t have and sending a long look to her brother’s name on the scoreboard.

Raven keeps her head held high as she sneers at Cinder and turns to Robyn. They glare at each other with such fire that the students near them flinch away. People look between the pair, the realization dawning in their eyes.

It was all a trap. Their friendship, the defiance of tradition, was fake. They can see it in the still-remaining betrayal and surprise on Robyn’s face as she stares at Raven, whose gaze only reveals contempt.

Slowly, Evers and Nevers mimic their hateful looks, turning to the other side. Hope dies in the eyes of the two sides, hope for this friendship to be real. Harriet and Marrow send each other suspicious glances, enemies again. Like they were always told they were supposed to be.

The second realization seems to hit the entire crowd at once. They know who else was a part of the original group that started this, and two of them are still out there. By the way Raven looks up at Clover’s name, they know. Together, the schools wait for Clover to return to the Clearing.

Summer appears first, clawing at her throat as she gasps for air. Her breathing grows steadier as Eve drops to the ground, still emotionless despite the gash from her shoulder to her opposite hip.

Neither side knows what to expect as they wait for one or both of the names to darken on the scoreboard. Even the densest among them can sense the tension as they fall into absolute silence, attention split between the board and where the challengers are meant to appear.

“Five minutes,” Ozpin announces, not even amplifying his voice.

Raven crosses her arms, keeping her eyes firmly on Clover’s name still in the sky. With each passing second, she looks more and more annoyed.

“Four-”

Sparks erupt over the Blue Forest not too far from the gate, and the two schools vault to their feet as one to see who appears in the Clearing. Slowly, someone shimmers into existence.

The Nevers burst into cheers, laughing and booing at Clover as he drops into the Clearing. Raven barely spares him a glance before she looks back to Qrow’s name. The Trial isn’t over yet, and she knows it.

Clover tries to push himself up, eyes wide and horrified, but his arm gives out under him and he collapses in the grass. Robyn gets to him first, followed by Fiona, Summer and Tai. They push the ruins of his jacket away so the teachers can heal his wounds. His eyes travel past them to Raven with undisguised hatred, and she only smirks back.

“What happened?” Robyn hisses to him from behind the teachers, darting in to untie the red band on his arm that he’d kept so clean for weeks until a few hours earlier. He lets the tie fall, mostly ignoring it. Robyn notices the lack of attention immediately. “When did he show up?”

Her friend doesn’t answer, hard gaze traveling up to the lone name in the sky. Even when Robyn reaches out a comforting hand, he flinches away and shakes his head.

Robyn doesn’t ask again, nudging the sword he drops away from him. She and her friends wait for the teachers to finish, none of them saying a word.

Not too far away, Raven watches everything with a frown, starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

-

Raven feels the stares of her fellow Nevers on her back and does her best to ignore them. _They’re beneath you,_ she reminds herself, but the humiliation still gnaws at her. She was supposed to win this Trial, with or without Qrow, and everyone knows it. 

Speaking of Qrow… she looks to their target and notices that something is definitely off about him. She sees the bandages first. Sure, it’s possible that Clover might have conjured them himself, or that a teacher might have given them to him. What are the chances that they used the exact same spell she and Qrow had just learned a few days ago?

She forces herself not to look at him, to act as if she’s above him as she tries to memorize the picture. There’s only a few wounds on him that she doesn’t remember giving him herself. Given Qrow’s combat skill, there’s no way Clover would have so few, especially not after he had to fight her.

Sunlight spears through the sky as she thinks. Ozpin clears his throat and gestures towards the gates, causing them to start sliding open. “The Trial by Tale is over. If Qrow Branwen returns through these gates, then he will have won.”

“How long does he have to get back?” Raven hears another Never whisper. She doesn’t exactly know herself, but she’s sure he’ll make it.

Minutes tick by with no sign of Qrow appearing. Raven sighs. Her brother has always loved his dramatics, but this isn’t the best time for them.

Finally, when the Nevers are just starting to get bored, she sees his blade gleam in the shadows. Qrow strolls out of the gloom, letting a bloody scythe drop to the grass just outside of the gates. He bleeds from multiple wounds, but they don’t even seem to slow him down.

Every Never jumps and cheers as Qrow steps into the Clearing, already starting to look between Qrow and Clover to connect the dots. The blood on Qrow’s scythe is surely Clover’s, and whatever blood is on Clover’s sword is Qrow’s.

Raven, on the other hand, is smarter than that. Clover sheaths his sword, and the glimpse of speckled blood can only be from when he grazed her. Her eyes narrow as she looks back to Qrow, who’s still maintaining his composure.

Qrow only has eyes for Clover, who will only look at him. It’s not at all a friendly gaze, and Raven can tell that there’s even more venom in Clover’s glare than when he was looking at her. What did Qrow do?

Sighing, Raven trudges over to Qrow. He’s about to collapse, despite how well he hides it. For a second, she wants to let him fall. To let him see what it’s like to have the entire class watch him.

She slips under his arm and pats his back. Her brother recognizes the gesture for what it is, and he drapes an arm over her shoulders. To anyone else, it looks like they’re just walking side by side, but Raven can feel him leaning heavily on her.

Unwilling to let either of them show any weakness, Raven helps her brother across the Clearing to accept the praise of the Nevers. Even as she walks alongside him, she can’t help but look at Clover’s expression, his bandages, and his sword. It can’t be a coincidence, can it?

She’ll ask Qrow later. For now, she just has to keep him standing.

-

Half an hour later, the Evers and Nevers finally file back to their rooms, ready to sleep for as long as they can. Only then do the teachers manage to heal Qrow’s wounds- ones that Clover doesn’t recognize. 

The second Qrow’s final wound closes, he releases his hold on his sister, standing up with only the slightest shake. Clover watches it all, seeing how Raven sends him a doubtful glance. Qrow sighs and sticks his hands in his pockets, more relaxed now that there are no Nevers to watch him. 

It takes a while for Clover to realize that Qrow’s heading for him, but it also takes a long time for Qrow to struggle across the Clearing, missing his sister’s support. The entire time, Clover glares at him, hoping that he’ll take the hint and leave. Unfortunately for him, Qrow doesn’t.

“Hey, Clover.” Qrow stumbles as he finally makes it over to him, and after the slightest hesitation, Clover catches him.

“What do you want?” Clover growls, pushing Qrow to his feet. He’s aware of Robyn, close by but still trying to keep her distance. “Come to gloat?”

“I… I didn’t want to do that.” 

Clover looks back to Robyn, who holds up a hand. Red shimmers over her fingers for a second before it flickers and disappears, seemingly out of power. He turns to Qrow. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I had to,” Qrow snaps, and where Clover expects to see frustration in his red eyes, he only sees what he thinks is desperation.

This time, Clover doesn’t look to Robyn, knowing her talent isn’t going to work again today. “Why? Because you’re Evil? Because it _never works out in the end?_ ” He shakes his head. “I thought we were friends.”

“It’s just-” Qrow doesn’t even try to finish his sentence. “We _are_ friends.”

“Not anymore.”

Something that might be hurt flashes in Qrow’s eyes, but it’s replaced by somewhat forced indifference in a matter of seconds. Clover almost feels bad. He doesn’t change his mind as he turns and walks away. There’s a slight rustle, probably from Qrow reaching out, but it stops as the Never also leaves to go back to his sister.

Robyn is waiting for him a few feet away. “I told the others to leave,” she murmurs as they head back towards the castle. “Are you okay?”

“They both…” Clover sighs. “I’ll be fine.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe later.”

Robyn nods, her gaze understanding. “Right. Let’s just get back to the school. We could both use some sleep after everything that happened.” She doesn’t bring up how he and Raven eliminated her. Not yet.

He can feel Qrow staring at him, but as he and Robyn walk back to Good, he doesn’t look back.

-

Nemesis Dreams are definitely not supposed to start in December of a Never’s first year. Only the best villains have Nemesis Dreams to find their enemy for eternity. As the name of the dream implies, this person is called their Nemesis, and the Never can’t be happy while their Nemesis lives.

Raven gets the dreams anyway, because her life is great like that.

She’s long since learned to tell the difference between dreams and nightmares by how aware she is. When she opens her eyes in what her mind tells her is the Blue Forest, she resigns herself to another nightmare. Until she tastes the blood.

They’re so early in the year that Lady Lesso has barely touched on Nemesis Dreams, but Raven knows enough. The first thing they learned past the definition of a Nemesis was that an early sign of Nemesis Dreams is the taste of blood.

_Well, shit._

The longer she stays here, the more she’s aware that this isn’t the Blue Forest she knows. The once-sparkling water of the brook is overrun with dark sludge, and if Raven looks at it long enough, she thinks she can see the faint glow of red eyes. Around her, darkening leaves drift to the ground and flowers wilt the more she looks at them.

Something moves to her right, and Raven whirls, reaching for the sword she had in the Trial. Her hand meets empty air. Biting back a curse, Raven looks up at the foggy figure of her brother.

“Qrow?” Raven asks tentatively, ready to create a portal to flee.

“Raven,” comes the reply, but the voice doesn’t sound like her brother’s cool tone. Raven leaps back, trying to remember where she last put her Trial sword.

Laughing, the figure steps forward, its foggy shape barely keeping its form as it advances. A blade appears in its grip that it raises, ready to attack. The weapon is so foggy that Raven can’t tell what it is- it shifts from scythe to sword and back again even as she watches.

Fumbling for her sword in a portal, Raven keeps backing up. Her fingers don’t find the hilt of her sword before the figure slashes down.

The blade cuts into her shoulder and passes right through her, and although there’s no blood, Raven’s entire side feels numb. She finally finds her sword with her left hand and yanks it out of the portal, driving it towards the figure.

A sharp curse makes Raven’s eyes snap open. Taking a shuddering breath, she sits up, nearly hitting her brother on the head. She moves her arm and finds her fingers wrapped around her sword.

Qrow jumps back, checking the new rip in his cape. He gives her a glare as he whispers, “If you ever try to shish-kebab me in my sleep again…”

“Sorry,” Raven replies breathlessly, opening a portal and tossing her sword through. “I had a weird dream.”

“That’s what you get for sleeping in the Library of Vice.”

Raven shakes her head. “No, this was different from my usual nightmares.” She frowns for a second before sitting up. “Why are _you_ here?”

Qrow shrugs. “Weird dream, like you.”

“Really? Because in mine-”

“I’m kind of worried because-”

“I tasted-”

“It was faint, but-”

They stop and stare at each other. Qrow speaks first. “Nemesis Dream?”

Wordlessly, Raven nods.

Qrow sits down on the couch with a sigh. His eyes are on Raven, but they’re unfocused, as if he’s staring past her at something far away. “Great.”

“As much as I want a Nemesis,” Raven grumbles, “I really don’t want to deal with one now.” A Nemesis is a sure sign that she’ll be a Leader, but going through three years of school knowing her destined enemy doesn’t sound like much fun to her.

“Did you have symptoms yet?”

Raven rolls her eyes. “Branwens barely _have symptoms_ in the first place, and I can’t tell if my eyes look any redder this late at night. Let’s just go back to bed.” She lays back down on the couch.

“You still want to sleep in the library? It just seems like you’re asking to get stabbed. Anyone can get in here and-”

“Anyone can get into the dorms,” Raven retorts. “Besides, if the rest of our class has enough of a brain to read, I’ve yet to see it. They’ll never find their way here.”

“Fine, fine,” Qrow says, holding his hands up in surrender. “Cinder and Marrow can definitely read, so if you die, that’s not my problem.”

“Marrow can’t even survive in the Blue Forest for two hours,” Raven says, closing her eyes. “He won’t stab me. I doubt he has the guts.”

“I wouldn’t count on that.”

“I only count on myself and you, and you know it. Just get out before your talent makes a stalactite impale me.” Raven waves a hand in her brother’s direction to shoo him away. “See you in Henchmen Training.”

“See you.”

Raven doesn’t open her eyes as her brother leaves, so she misses the regretful glance he sends towards the School for Good. Her words echo in his mind as he leaves- she counts on him. 

Qrow looks back at the School for Good one more time, remembering his former friends. His lips form Raven’s words. _I only count on myself and you._ If the Trial by Tale’s taught him anything, it’s that she might be making a mistake.

Shaking his head, Qrow thinks back to his dream. The taste of blood was there, but so faint that he could barely sense it at all. Not to mention the second half that broke him out of his nightmare with a scene of a sparkling white hall. The School for Good is the only thing he knows with rooms that white.

But enough of that- his Nemesis. He has a few guesses, and he can’t decide which one he hates more. Raven. Clover. That one asshole bird that keeps trying to poop in his lunch.

_Please let it be the bird._

It’s not the bird. Of course it’s not the bird. Qrow can’t help but look one final time at the School for Good, a name slipping past his lips.

_“Clover…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, readers and other readers who are reading this instead of sleeping. So... while I was looking through the plot outline for the rest of this story, I realized 2 things.  
> 1\. The next few chapters make no sense.  
> 2\. Even if they _did_ make sense, they're shit.  
> I'm going to have to take some time to fix this terrible plot outline, so this'll be the last chapter for a while. And by a while, I mean a week max, but whatever. I want this story to be good, or good by my standards anyway. Not to mention that we all know I've barely been updating Bewitched. Sorry about the delay, and I'll update this as soon as I can.
> 
> Thanks for reading! (and commenting, I live off of your comments) :D


	14. A Much Needed Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lot of conversations but whatever chapter 15 is also lots of conversations. and chapter 16. oh boy chapter 16

Qrow sighs as he walks down the hallway, reviewing Lady Lesso’s murder schemes in his head. A few classes into the day, and he’s already exhausted. It’s to be expected, though, considering it’s barely been a day since he won the Trial. Not to mention the dreams.

He looks up to see Cinder Fall walking straight towards him, eyes burning with a fire that rivals Raven’s. On any other day, she would step aside, but Qrow moves first, allowing her to continue on her path unhindered. He doesn’t miss the triumphant smirk, but as he nears the library, he realizes he might have bigger problems.

Raven sits in her usual spot on the couch, her face a mask of cool indifference. It doesn’t fool him. She hides it well for the most part, but her eyes still have a malicious gleam. She’s up to something for sure.

As if confirming his suspicions, Qrow’s gaze lands on the pillow beside her. More specifically, the handle that just barely pokes out from behind it. Omen. He doesn’t know the reason why she brought her Trial sword, but it can’t be good.

“Qrow.” Raven follows his gaze to the pillow half-concealing her sword before she looks at him again. Her hand drifts towards Omen as she speaks. “Sit down.”

He doesn’t miss the threat as he sits in the nearest chair, not daring to relax. “What did you want?”

“What happened at the Trial by Tale?” She pauses for a second as if giving him the chance to respond, but she continues as he opens his mouth. Her eyes track his every movement, every breath, waiting for a sign of guilt. “You didn’t hurt Clover very much, and unless he used your scythe against you, he didn’t hurt you either. But besides that- you didn’t really need to hurt him more than I did- why did it take so long to get rid of him?”

“I-”

“Eve and Summer were close, sure, but they took each other out. Neither of them even got to Clover. Which means you didn’t need to keep him there as long as you did. With no one else still in the Trial, there would be no one left to bait. So… what happened?”

“I would tell you if you would just stop interrupting,” Qrow grumbles. “I helped him so he’d trust me again and then have it broken. I might have kept him around for longer, but a water dragon showed up and I had to send him back.”

Raven raises an eyebrow. “Seriously? A _water_ dragon?”

“Hey, they still breathe fire.”

“Fire shouldn’t be an issue, considering you can- oh, wait.” Her tone changes from slight contempt to outright mocking in a heartbeat. “You can’t.”

Qrow shoots her a glare that lacks any real hostility. “Can you not bring that up? I’m working on it, okay?” 

“Better get it done before the Circus of Talents,” Raven replies. “Misfortune alone won’t win you a point, let alone the Circus Crown. Not that we’ll be winning anyway, considering our School Master. But enough of that. Don’t water dragons hate Evers more than they hate us?”

“Exactly, which is why I sent him back before it could rip him to shreds.”

Raven groans, slapping a hand over her forehead. “Idiot. You absolute _idiot!_ You’ve got to learn to seize a good opportunity. Let it rip him to shreds. It looks like an accident! Just because I said we wouldn’t be killing him in the Trial because we didn’t have a plan doesn’t mean that you couldn’t improvise.”

“I’m… sorry?”

She rolls her eyes, turning to stare at the bookshelves. “I thought you would know better.”

“Look, if the opportunity arises again, I’ll take it.” He knows it’s a lie even as he says it.

But Raven isn’t listening as she sits up, eyes narrowing. “You do know better than that,” she declares confidently. “You’ve been able to figure it out in similar situations. Which means…” Her hand wraps around Omen’s hilt. “You were protecting him, weren’t you?”

She must see the answer in his eyes, because she sighs heavily, not releasing her grasp on Omen. “Qrow…”

Qrow flinches, thinking for a second that his glimpse of her will be his last before Omen cuts his throat open. He waits for the anger and the lecture that’s sure to follow with his eyes shut.

“...It’s fine. We’ll kill him next time.”

Eyes opening in surprise, Qrow can’t help but ask, “What?”

Raven shrugs. “I know you can act a little too Good sometimes. You were bound to do something like this sooner or later. It’s fine. Besides, it does allow for me to go with my plan.”

Still shocked, Qrow takes a few seconds to respond. “And what’s your plan?”

“Remember what comes after the Circus of Talents?”

He blinks. “You want to kill him at the Snow Ball?”

“Think about it. It’s perfect! The Evers will all be dancing for the entire night and the teachers will be there too. All we need to do is lure him out and kill him while they’re busy. What’s one more corpse in the water? No one’s going to notice for a while, if they notice at all.” 

“What happened to making it look like an accident?”

Raven shrugs. “No one actively studies the corpses in Halfway Bay. They’ll just think he disappeared.”

Qrow thinks for a second before he shakes his head. “His date isn’t going to let him go off on his own, and they’ll notice if he doesn’t come back soon.”

“Then we just make sure he doesn’t get a date,” Raven says. “With luck, two Evergirls will go together so neither of them gets failed, and he might be the one left out.”

“With _luck?_ That’s not going to happen. Not with me around, anyway.”

Raven sighs. “You really like to make things hard for me, don’t you?” She glances to the side, deep in thought. Finally, she looks back at him. “Don’t laugh.”

“...Okay?”

“What if I got him to take me to the Snow Ball?”

True to his word, Qrow doesn’t laugh, but he definitely snorts. “That’s a terrible idea. He’s not going to forgive you after what you did to him and Robyn, and I don’t think two months is really enough time to seduce him.”

“Fine, so it sounds stupid out loud,” Raven snaps. “But I wouldn’t count on him not forgiving me. The Good forgive, after all.”

“Eh… you’re not his type anyway, Rae.”

“Then what is his type?”

Qrow frowns. “I don’t know… somewhat grumpy, tall, skinny, dramatic, top of the class, hates most Evergirls, conventionally attractive, misspelled bird name…” He trails off when he notices Raven’s smirk. 

Still with a grin on her face, Raven looks up. Qrow takes a while to process, the realization hitting him right before she speaks. “New idea.”

_“...Raven-”_

-

“Clover!”

Clover pauses mid-step and glances around, looking for the source of the voice. He turns and finds Fiona hurrying towards him, her books nowhere in sight.

“Fiona?” He asks as she comes to a stop in front of him, panting. “What is it?”

Taking a second to catch her breath, Fiona straightens up and gasps, “Robyn’s in the library and I think she wants to talk to you.”

He frowns. “Why the rush, then?”

“On a scale of stealing your dessert to burning down Hansel’s Haven, she’s about to throw Summer’s cookies into the trash.”

“Oh, gods. I’m dead.”

Fiona shakes her head. “It’s probably just because we had to practice dancing in Princess Etiquette. She might be a little less murderous when you get there, assuming you catch her before Surviving Fairy Tales.”

Clover nods. “Thanks, Fiona.”

“Sure,” she says, waving as he starts walking off. “By the way, if she kills you, I’ll make sure she pays for your funeral!”

Despite Fiona’s warning words, Robyn seems calm enough as she lounges in an armchair in the Library of Virtue, one leg over the armrest. The second he sets foot into the room, she looks up from her cookie, but she still says nothing.

After a minute where neither of them talk, Robyn breaks the silence. “In hindsight, you were probably right.”

Clover hesitates before he speaks. “You’re not going to stab me?”

Robyn sighs, shifting in her chair to face him. “Fiona talked me out of it. Besides, I _did_ see you hesitate, you know.” She meets his eyes, a slight frown on her face. “In the end, it was Raven’s doing.”

He can’t help but flinch at the name. Since the Trial, they’ve barely brought her and her brother up. “I’m still sorry, you know.”

“I know,” Robyn says. Her eyes slide to the window that looks over the Blue Forest and back to Clover. “Did you want to tell me what happened after Raven sent me back?”

Despite his past efforts to forget the Trial by Tale, he’s still able to remember the story in vivid detail. He leaves most of them out- after all, Robyn doesn’t need to know what Qrow looked like with his hair out of his eyes, or how his eyes had flashed bright red before he’d dropped the handkerchief. Robyn listens to the entire story in silence, her eyes occasionally narrowing. When he finishes the story, she looks more sad than angry.

“Do you think we were stupid to trust them at all? Before the Trial, I mean. Maybe they were plotting this all along, or…” Robyn trails off, rubbing one of her eyes. “Not to mention how the others warned us not to trust them in the Trial.”

Shaking his head, Clover replies, “I’m not really sure. Raven was definitely lying to us the entire time, but Qrow still seemed genuinely upset after the Trial. I know your talent wasn’t working, but do you think that was real?”

Robyn shrugs. “You knew him the best out of all of us. There’s no real way to tell.” She stands up slowly, taking a step towards the door. “Let’s just get to class, okay? There’s no real use in thinking about them.”

Clover nods. “Okay.”

As they walk down the Honor Tower staircase, Clover remembers their next class. Surviving Fairy Tales. The only class that they share with Qrow and Raven.

_Shit._

-

“Of course it didn’t work,” Ozpin sighs, reaching for his mug. “If only Clover knew what Qrow knows. This is just another cautionary tale about friendships between Evers and Nevers, I suppose.”

“Two things. One, I doubt Qrow will let Clover go that easily. Two, do you really think this is just going to be a _friendship?_ ” A woman with pure white hair leans over the book, careful not to get in the way of the Storian. “It doesn’t look just friendly to me.”

Ozpin frowns. “You think it’ll be a romance? That’s… unorthodox. Two boys, and from different schools at that?”

The woman groans, covering her eyes with one hand. “This is why you should let me do the sorting. Just because they’re in one school doesn’t mean their souls reflect that.”

“Qrow Branwen’s soul is more Evil than Good-”

“Souls can change. We’ve both seen it happen firsthand,” she snaps. “One divided soul and one pure? It’s happened before.”

“And it’s failed before, Salem,” Ozpin replies, gesturing between them. “This is a perfect example, and look at where it’s gotten us.”

“This time, one of their souls is pure Good,” Salem says. “Unlike mine, or even yours, Ozm-”

Ozpin stands up in a flash, slamming his hands down on the table so hard that his mug nearly tips over. “Don’t call me that.”

“You can be so _sensitive_ sometimes.”

“Get out.”

Salem snorts, meeting his darkening eyes with ease. “Do you have a calendar? It’s my week. Lock the door when you leave, will you?”

Ozpin sighs, but the anger leaves him as quickly as it came as he picks up his mug. “Fine.”

She doesn’t say another word until he leaves the tower, looking back to the storybook. Her smirk grows wider as she reads the words appearing on the page. 

When the Storian hesitates over the storybook, Salem turns away from it to look out the window. Not too far away, the School for Good gleams in the dying light. She glances back towards the book, where the Storian has yet to write another word.

“Oz is really missing out this week,” she laughs, and sits down to watch the fairy tale unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is late I know and I am SORRY but it's fine now totally fine


	15. The Plan to Destroy Straight Culture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shit escalates quickly but not Trial by Tale quickly so at least there's that, and you will now understand why I'm so obsessed with chapter 16

One of the many things Clover hates about the School for Good is that any small event with just a hint of drama can be blown out of proportion overnight. Out of all of his friends, Robyn is the most well-informed on what the other students are currently interested in, mostly because of her roommate’s helpful talent. With or without her help, he knows that the events of the Trial by Tale is the only thing they’ve been talking about for days.

There are very few options available to anyone involved in the Trial by Tale besides waiting it out. Luckily, Clover and Robyn are well-versed in the art of not giving a solitary shit.

Not that they’ll need it, not if that’s what he thinks it is.

Somewhat reluctantly, Clover slides out of bed and picks up the shining white invitation. The second he sees the shape of the invitation, he knows his suspicions are right.

_Dear Clover, you are cordially invited to the EVERS’ SNOW BALL_

 _They spent a lot of time on that message, didn’t they._ Clover takes a second to admire the snowflake-shaped card before he stuffs it into his jacket pocket. There’s no date, but he doesn’t need one.

The Snow Ball is going to be the worst Valentine’s Day yet. Clover reaches for his uniform and starts on the many buttons, dreading putting the jacket on. His uniform fits well enough, but the sleeves still feel restricting. He can’t imagine having to wear the Groom Room’s perfectly tailored jackets, not to mention dancing in them.

Although the ball is two months away, the invitations seem to send the school into a frenzy. When Clover makes it to breakfast, he finds the rest of his friends already there, comparing their unique snowflake invitations.

Robyn slides over the second he sits down. “One little snowflake card and they forget the Trial,” she sighs. She turns to face him fully, a smirk growing on her face. “That said… who are you taking?”

Clover groans so loudly that Summer looks up from her croissant. “It’s not even this year, Robyn.”

“I’ll take that to mean you have absolutely no idea.”

“Well… I was probably just going to ask you.”

His friend considers it for a second. “Nah. Why don’t you ask her?” She points across from him at Fiona, who doesn’t look up from her breakfast.

“What?”

“You heard me! You should ask Fiona. You’re nice enough, she’ll probably say yes. And besides, Fiona’s great! She’s nice, secretly badass, above all that crap Jacques has been spreading around… oh, and her eyes, they’re this really beautiful shade of- well, you get my point. Ask her!”

Fiona finally looks up from her peach slices, meets Robyn’s eyes, and looks down again.

“First of all, she’s right there,” Clover replies. “Second, why don’t you ask her yourself?”

Robyn and Fiona both freeze, both of them developing a sudden interest in staring off to the side. Just as Clover’s sure he’ll never get an answer, Robyn snorts. “I mean...” He can’t tell if she’s joking or not.

When she starts laughing, he assumes it’s a joke and goes along with it. Until he meets her eyes. No matter what she’s just said, no matter how Fiona seems to believe she was never really considering, Clover can see a certain look in her eyes.

She looks _thoughtful._

-

“Anything else?”

Qrow shakes his head, barely able to process his sister’s simple question with the amount of new information in his mind. It doesn’t help that Professor Manley is suspiciously close to them as he lectures them on types of cloaks.

Somehow, Raven seems to notice his distracted state. She snaps her fingers in front of his face, shooting him an annoyed glare. “Qrow, this is _important._ More important than whatever cloaks Manley’s been talking about. So do you have any idea what might go wrong?”

“He finds out,” Qrow mutters. “Then he decides not to go to the ball after all.”

“If he has a ball date, though…”

“Rae, we both know I’ve never seduced someone in my life and I’m not going to be good at it now. Besides, if he finds out that you’re trying to kill him, I doubt he’ll be so friendly towards me.”

Raven rolls her eyes. “I’m sure he’ll trust you either way.”

“Fine, then what happens if he tells his friends about it and they all hide somewhere in the school?”

“If they don’t go, their dates don’t count. The girls have to go or they’ll get failed, and seeing as that might mean death, I don’t think he’d let them risk it. And if the boys go, then the girls don’t have dates. Again. Failed.”

“What if he goes with Glynda or Willow? I think they could fight you off.”

“If you can beat them, I’m sure I can. Besides, you’ll be helping me, won’t you?” Raven outright turns away from Manley’s lecture. “Maybe I’ll even be nice and let you land the finishing blow. Once I’m done with him, of course.”

Qrow suppresses a shudder, remembering their mother’s lessons. Playing with their prey, she had called it. She’d given them plenty of lessons on how to draw it out, to make death come slowly. He still remembers the screaming.

He doesn’t know where the thought comes from, but the image of Clover, bloody and exhausted but still standing with his sword outstretched, appears in his mind. Depending on how much time Raven has, she can make all of those wounds look like surface wounds, and those wounds on Clover during the Trial were far frown surface wounds. Besides Qrow’s two strikes, all of Raven’s were deep enough to be serious.

After all of their mother’s demonstrations, it’s easy to magnify the pain and fear in Clover’s eyes. To imagine him as Raven cut him apart, slowly but surely-

“You’re spacing out again,” Raven mutters. “Are you going to help or not?”

“I, uh… I kind of want to focus on the lesson.”

Raven shoots him a weird look, but she leaves him to focus on Manley, now explaining how to turn invisible with a snakeskin cloak. His attention is divided between the lesson and Clover, but at least he doesn’t have to help her plan yet.

Even worse than the demonstrations on the animals that they’d brought back… Qrow remembers the girl, young and scared. Helping her escape was the one time he’d successfully disobeyed all three of his family members at once, and his mother’s decision to use _him_ for a lesson instead had ensured it would be the last. 

His parents had given him clear instructions before he’d left for school. Listen to Raven, help her in her schemes, and never act like a bumbling Ever again. Since then, he’s followed all three… somewhat. 

Until now.

Because he’s about to break all three of their rules into a million pieces.

_I can’t let this happen to him._

As they leave the classroom, a 1 smoldering over Qrow’s head, he watches Manley stuff the different cloaks into a trunk, including the snakeskin.

_Invisibility, huh…_

-

It’s only three hours after dinner when Qrow finishes his homework and slips away from his room, making sure Tyrian and Hazel are fast asleep when he leaves. It only takes a few awkward Mogrification maneuvers for him to tug the cloak under the gap between the door and the floor.

A few minutes later, Qrow’s standing at the exit to Halfway Bridge. He waits for the wolves to pass by before he runs across the bridge, hoping that he’s downwind of them. He does not need to get dragged back to his room, especially not tied to a stick with an apple in his mouth. Not today.

He’s so focused on the mental image of the wolves tying him to a spit that he nearly forgets about his last obstacle. Qrow skids to a stop as fast as he can, but his arm still slams into the hard barrier in the air that’s just as invisible as he is.

A slight breeze threatens to tug at his hood, and Qrow freezes, looking behind him to check for wolves that might pick up his scent. They’re not there now, but they’ll surely show up in a few minutes.

When he looks back to the bridge, someone glowing with soft light looks back at him. He half expects it, but it still takes him a moment to recognize his own face smiling back at him. 

The phrase slips out of him at the sight of that horribly bright smile and the awful cornflower blue of the Ever uniform his double is dressed in. “What the fu-”

“Language,” his clone scolds. The voice is his, but it sounds so light and happy that he cringes. Before he can snap at it, its grin grows even wider as it recites in a sing-song voice that he hopes never comes from his throat again, “ _Good with Good, Evil with Evil, back to your tower before there’s upheaval._ ”

Qrow’s heard about this from his mother. _Just convince it you’re good. If Mother can do it, you certainly can. Remember the rules._ He’s aware of every second ticking by as he says weakly, “I’m Good, so let me pass.” Stalling. He’s stalling. What is he waiting for? He just has to come up with this one answer.

“You? Good? Never in a million years.” The double starts to turn. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

As Ever Qrow spins, the faint light catches on something shining on his jacket. Qrow’s eyes, barely adjusted to the dark, can only just make out the pin.

_Clover._

“Wait!” Qrow reaches out, and to his surprise, Ever Qrow actually pauses and turns back. He struggles to figure out the phrase, to use the rules. “I’m defending someone?”

“That’s the best you can come up with?”

“I’m defending someone… that I love?”

His double raises an eyebrow. “That’s debatable.”

Qrow opens his mouth, ready to try one last time. He hears a wolf’s paws behind him-

“Fair enough,” Ever Qrow sighs. He gives Qrow one last glaringly bright smile before he turns and disappears.

Taking a tentative step forward, Qrow finds that the barrier is gone. He sighs as he picks up the pace, hurrying to the other side of the bridge. _I can’t believe I’m doing this. If Raven finds out-_

_If Clover_ doesn’t _find out-_

Qrow takes a deep breath and hesitates just before the shining white archway that leads into the school. The wolves seem to have moved on, but that doesn’t stop his heart from threatening to hammer its way out of his chest.

_No going back now._

With one final glance back, Qrow steps into the School for Good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmm scandalous


	16. Midnight Messenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2 bros, sitting in the library, approximately 3 feet apart because they’re gay but also this is chapter 16, we’re not there yet

Clover finally drops his quill on top of his haphazard notes on _The Recipe Book for Good Looks_ and stands up from his desk, leaving the homework behind him. He’s already showered, so it doesn’t take long for him to be able to lay down and try to go asleep. It’s not an easy task by any means, especially not with James’s snoring.

After a half hour of trying and failing to sleep, Clover starts to adjust to the sound and drift off. Just as sleep starts to pull at him, a thud snaps him back to full awareness.

_Great._ Clover sighs, sitting up to look for the source of the noise. When he finds nothing, he starts to sit down again.

Something small and white slides under the door, landing softly by Clover’s bed. He leans down until he can read the message scrawled on the parchment.

OPEN UP

“Robyn…?” Clover mutters. He doesn’t know anyone else with handwriting as scratchy as hers, and she seems like the only person who would come here that late anyway. After a moment of deliberation, he crosses the room to open the door. He turns the handle agonizingly slowly so as to not wake James, fully expecting Robyn to be on the other side.

Qrow waves somewhat sheepishly from the hallway, his eyes flicking down to Clover’s bare chest and back in a heartbeat. “Uh, hi?”

Immediately, Clover takes a step back, trying to shut the door. Qrow reaches out and grabs it just in time, nearly getting his fingers crushed in the process.

“Please,” Qrow nearly begs. Something about his tone, so vulnerable and unlike the Qrow he knows, makes Clover hesitate. He lets the door open.

Clover sighs. “What do you want?”

“I came to explain,” Qrow blurts, whatever mask of calm he normally has nowhere in sight. “About- about the Trial.”

He wants to tell Qrow that he’s heard enough about the Trial until he remembers his face after the Trial. It might have been another trick, one last attempt to win him over so Qrow could hurt him again. Or maybe this isn’t a trap at all. In the end, Clover just nods.

A slight hint of surprise shows on Qrow’s face as if he expected Clover to tell him to leave. “I meant it when I offered to share the victory. I wasn’t going to drop your handkerchief. But then a water dragon showed up, so I sent you back.”

“What about before that, with Raven? You can’t tell me that wasn’t planned.”

“We were going to use you as bait,” Qrow admits. “All of the Nevers knew we would be going after you- Cinder tried to beat us to it- and we made sure that Glynda and Willow knew right before they went into the forest. I let them find Summer and tell her about it before I surprised them and eliminated them both. In the end, though, Eve and Summer beat each other, and that was when I should have gotten rid of you.”

Ignoring the hope blooming in his heart, Clover asks, his voice barely a whisper, “You know what you did hurt a lot more than Raven, don't you?"

Qrow’s flinch is so natural that Clover almost believes it’s genuine. He forces himself to remember Raven’s acting skill and how she had dropped her charade with ease the second she got what she wanted. If he’s not careful, Qrow might be able to do that to him again.

“I’m sorry,” Qrow says, pulling his snakeskin cloak tighter around him. “Look, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

The words are oddly familiar, but Clover can’t figure out where he’s heard them before. He meets Qrow’s eyes, but between the two of them, he thinks Qrow is having a harder time maintaining eye contact. 

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“You don’t,” Qrow sighs. “If you want to bring Robyn, I can’t blame you.”

Clover considers it before he remembers it’s almost midnight. Besides, at this point, it’s hard for him to believe Qrow can be anything but genuine.

Shifting his weight ever so slightly, Qrow doesn’t look away. Something in his eyes tells Clover that if he tells Qrow to leave now, he will. 

_Do I want him to leave?_

He already knows the answer. Taking a deep breath, Clover says, “Okay.”

Red eyes light with the slightest hint of surprise, but Qrow’s face quickly shifts into a smile. When he sees it, Clover knows he’s made the right choice. Back when they had sat together for lunch, he’d been able to tell when Qrow’s smile was fake, even if he’d assumed it was just out of politeness at the time.

Clover opens his mouth to say something, but he doesn’t quite figure out the words before darkness flashes over Qrow’s expression. It’s not a dangerous shadow, not like the one on Raven’s face, but it seems… alarmed.

Qrow sighs, grin fading. “There’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

“What is-” Clover cuts off abruptly when James stirs, turning over in his bed.

Noticing his roommate’s movement, Qrow says in a hushed tone, “Can we talk somewhere else?”

“Sure.” Clover takes a step out into the hallway, glancing in the direction of the staircase. He doesn’t have slippers like James does, but as long as he’s not wearing his boots, no one should be able to hear them.

Qrow holds out a hand to stop him, pointedly not even looking at him. “One thing.”

“What?”

“...Can you put a shirt on?”

-

A minute later, Clover slips out of his room, still trying to figure out the buttons on his shirt. He’s learned by now that he should start at the bottom and that the top button is the worst thing to ever exist, which is probably why he’s just given up and left it alone.

Clover leads Qrow to the library, surprised to find that he knows the halls well enough not to bump into anything despite the darkness. They even make it up the stairs without slipping once.

Qrow waits until Clover sits down to stand in front of him and say, “Raven’s planning to kill you.”

“ _What?_ ” Clover freezes, fear rushing through him. He remembers her skill from the Trial all too well- if she goes after him, he doesn’t stand a chance.

“February 14- the night of the Snow Ball- she plans to separate you from everyone else and kill you. She says it’ll be easiest then because everyone’s going to be inside. No witnesses, and unless someone regularly examines corpses in the moat, no body either.”

“Why is she…?”

Shaking his head helplessly, Qrow replies, “Practice, or maybe she thinks she can get a fairy tale out of all of this. I don’t know.”

Clover sighs, slumping slightly in his chair. “So what do I do?”

Qrow just shakes his head again. “I have no idea. Between the both of us, we should be able to figure out a plan. Christmas break is coming up soon, and Raven wants me to… well, she wants me to be close to you, so she won’t mind if we keep in touch.”

“Is there any way for me to just fight her off?”

“You wouldn’t stand a chance. I can’t even fight her, not when…” Qrow turns his palm up. “Remember what you heard about Branwens and fire?” He shuts his eyes, every muscle in his hand tensing. 

Waiting with bated breath, Clover is surprised when Qrow lowers his hand after a few seconds, no flame in sight. His expression holds no surprise, just disappointment.

“What if we worked together?” Clover suggests. “Neither of us can beat her alone, but-”

“There’s a reason I kept my distance from Raven in the Trial,” Qrow says. “I think you already know, though.”

Clover takes a second to think, trying to remember what he knows about Qrow. It hits him when he remembers Glynda’s words. “Your talent?”

Qrow nods. “Misfortune. Makes it hard to work with people, even when I’m not trying to use it. So fighting together might get you killed faster- are you smiling?”

“Sorry. It’s just… you never found out what my talent was?”

Mystified, Qrow frowns. “Raven always said that it didn’t matter, so we didn’t put much thought into it. Still, I don’t see how your talent is going to help, unless- oh.” He slaps his forehead so loudly that Clover glances towards the turtle librarian to make sure they stay asleep. “Your name is _Clover._ I should have known.”

His words are casual, but his eyes tell a different story. Somehow, Clover’s good fortune seems to mean a lot to him- more than he dares express. Qrow’s expression shifts to something heartbreaking for a fraction of a second before it vanishes.

“You probably should have,” Clover admits. He looks up. “Maybe we can fight together after all, then.”

“Maybe. We’ll have to see.” Qrow casts a glance down at the flickering candles on the library table and to his hand. Alarm flashes through his eyes, and he looks up sharply. “What time is it?”

“It can’t have been more than half an hour from when you first came in,” Clover replies. 

Qrow relaxes a little, but he takes a step towards the door. “I should go. Tyrian wakes up all the time, and if he notices I’m gone, who knows what he’ll do?” He meets Clover’s eyes. “Will you be okay?”

“I’ll… I’ll be fine.”

Not even sparing the exit a glance this time, Qrow turns back to face him. His hand raises slightly, as if he wants to put a hand on Clover’s shoulder, but he stops himself. “We’ll figure it out.”

“I know,” Clover says, trying to believe him despite the memories of the Trial that appear when he closes his eyes.

“We’re all here for you,” Qrow reminds him. “I’m here for you. I’m sure we can come up with something. Raven’s strong, but she’s not invincible.”

He’s seen that in person, but all he remembers is her shaking her wounds off like they were nothing to attack again, eyes dark and deadly. Qrow’s, on the other hand… right now, they’re nothing like that. They’re a softer red, and they only show concern and the slightest hint of fear.

“I have to go. I’ll give you my address later, but for now, we shouldn’t talk. Any interaction I have with you is just going to make things worse than they already are, so I’ll just… stay away for now.”

As Qrow turns, the world seems to slow down. It’s like there’s someone screaming at him to reach out, so Clover moves, catching Qrow’s hand with his own.

Qrow stiffens immediately, spinning around with a swish of his cape. His eyes are wide and shocked, but he doesn’t pull his hand away. Opening his mouth, he flounders for something to say.

Barely daring to breathe, Clover manages to ask, “What if I don’t want you to stay away?”

Qrow takes a deep breath, and when he opens his eyes, he looks much calmer. “We can’t always get what we want. Besides, I’m not exactly the best person to be hanging around.”

“We’re _friends_ , Qrow,” Clover murmurs.

A grin lightens Qrow’s face, but then he looks back to his school. “I’ll see you soon.” He leaves his hand in Clover’s for a second longer as if he’s reluctant to let go before he slips it away. “Yeah, we are.”

As Qrow leaves, Clover watches, still too surprised by his own actions to stand. “Thank you,” he calls softly after him, sure he can’t hear.

Qrow looks back as he whispers an incantation, turning his cloak invisible. Then he pulls his hood over his head and disappears from sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look if this chapter is incoherent blame 2am me who decided to wing this, hope you liked it anyway because my plot outline is crying lmao
> 
> edit: so I've been getting comments laughing at the "Can you put a shirt on?" but uh. I am a girl and I've never experienced romance in my life, not to mention I'm also uselessly gay. so. can someone in the men fandom tell me if boys actually sleep with their shirts off or that's just greg trying to flex on us :/


	17. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven is sneaky beaky and just. Raveeeennnnnnnn

Raven slips out onto Halfway Bridge without a sound, a hand on her sword. Her eyes turn up towards the School Master’s tower that looms over her as she considers. She should be able to cover this distance with a single portal, but without her brother here, she’s less sure. His presence, misfortune or no, always seems to make it easier for her to use her talent.

_This is ridiculous. You can do this, Rae._

Fingers tightening on Omen’s hilt, Raven takes a deep breath. As she lets it out, she tries to gauge the distance between the bridge and the tower. She slides one foot slightly back, preparing to jump.

Her boot hits something solid where there should only be air. Raven turns, Omen slashing down- and sees familiar red eyes staring back at her.

This version of Raven, her eyes positively glowing a bright, hostile red, snarls, _“Good with Good, Evil with-”_

Raven slices her head off and turns back to the tower. Without looking back at the body in dark robes that crumples and disappears into mist, she swings Omen again.

A red portal opens, and she leaps through, reappearing on the roof of the tower. Raven lands unsteadily on the roof, already slipping on as her feet touch the roof. She spends a few seconds desperately scrambling for purchase before she evens herself out. 

“No one saw that,” she mutters, but an embarrassed flush still creeps up her neck as she slowly slides down the roof.

With a few more maneuvers that are far less graceful than she’d like, Raven manages to fall through a portal and catch the edge of the window. Swinging dangerously, she digs her fingers in and hauls herself up, peering into the room.

Ozpin has his back to her, so Raven leans forward and scans the walls, looking for signs of another person. She’s heard stories from her mother about another School Master- one who’s meant to be 100% Evil. One that shows their face even less than Ozpin. And apparently, one that’s not even here.

Sighing, Raven looks towards the shelves lining the walls. Supporting herself with one arm, she reaches towards the nearest book. If her mother can break into the School Master’s tower, so can she. This is her last day to try this year, and she’s going to need proof for her mother to care.

Her fingers brush the spine of the book. Raven stretches out further and manages to tip it into her hand. She pushes off from the tower wall immediately and dives into a portal, reappearing only halfway to the bridge. 

Raven reaches for her sword, but before she can blink, she slams into icy cold water. She opens her eyes underwater and finds that she can see the sky- this must be Good’s side of the bay.

 _Oh, delightful. I’m going to be drenched_ and _smelling like candy when I get back._

Something wraps around her waist and yanks her up, not giving her the time to even process what’s going on before she’s entirely thrown from the water. Raven lands hard on the bridge, coughing. She looks down to find her legs encased in an enchanted wave that slowly lets go and fades into the bay.

Raven stands up and opens a portal that she hopes will drop her straight into her dorm room. Her first step makes such a loud squelch that she cringes, knowing her boots must be full of water.

She glances back at the bay. If there’s a wave to keep her out of Good, it might be an issue for her Snow Ball plan. 

“I guess I’ll have to get faster,” Raven mutters, stepping through her portal and back into her room. She has almost two months, after all. And a week to train with her mother. After that, she’ll be able to eliminate Clover with ease. Maybe in their second year, she’ll kill Robyn or Fiona, and in their third year, she’ll take out the other one, and when they go out in the Endless Woods, she’ll finally get rid of-

_Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, Rae._ She can practically hear her brother saying the phrase to her. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s quoted the stories.

_Gods, I hate Aesop’s Fables._

-

The vines of the Flowerground appear beneath Raven and Qrow’s feet, and Raven waits as they wrap tightly around her arms. “Why couldn’t Mother just pick us up herself?” She groans as the vines drag them underground.

“When you’re practically ruling a kingdom, you don’t have a lot of free time,” Qrow replies as the vines bind his arms to his sides. 

“I guess,” Raven sighs. “It would have made for an interesting exit.”

Qrow shrugs as much as he can with the vines restricting his movement. “I’m sure if you ask, she’ll consider it.”

“I can’t just ask, she has to offer-” Raven stops talking when the Flowerground jerks into motion, pulling them past giant flower after giant flower. The amount of pollen suddenly invading her nostrils is staggering, and she struggles not to sneeze.

Her brother, who seems to be having a similar problem, looks away from her. His gaze travels randomly around the area until it settles on someone farther down the thick vine that their harnesses all attach to.

Raven has a feeling of who he’s staring out before she looks, but she follows his gaze anyway. Unsurprisingly, she sees Clover and Robyn down the line, whispering urgently to each other. Frowning to herself, she glares at Clover, well aware that he might look up and see her at any second.

These past few days, Qrow has barely looked at anyone else during their lunchtimes. Sure, it can be blamed on their conversations and the plans they discuss during them, but she doubts it. Raven wouldn’t mind it if he didn’t absolutely light up around Clover, especially during their Surviving Fairy Tales classes. He’d better not get too attached, or he’ll do something stupid again. Never mind what she’ll do to him if he helps Clover- she’s afraid of what their parents will do.

The Flowerground pauses for a brief moment just long enough for her and Qrow to transfer to the Rosalinda Line. As they’re yanked away, they lose sight of Clover and Robyn as they ride down the Violet Line toward Jaunt Jolie.

“Uh, Raven?” Qrow whispers, leaning over. “Did you get anything for…”

“Did I get anything for Mother and Father?” Raven finishes. “Of course I did. What, are you going to tell me that you _didn’t_ … oh, no.”

Qrow sighs. “Look, I was distracted, okay?”

_He’s not exactly lying._ Raven shakes her head, glancing towards her trunk. “I have an extra dagger or two from Cinder,” she offers. “As for Mother, I got a book from the School Master’s tower.”

“You- when did you get in there?”

“Last night. It was too easy,” Raven sneers. “No sign of that legendary pure Evil headmaster either. Don’t worry. I’ll tell her you helped.”

“Thanks,” Qrow says as the Flowerground stops to let students off. He doesn’t say anything until they start moving again. “...Did you get me anything?”

Raven smirks to herself. “Yeah, I did. What about you?”

Qrow’s smirk mirrors her own, telling her all she needs to know about what he got her.

“You got me another gift certificate to the Pizzeria of Punishment, didn’t you?”

“I never said that,” Qrow protests, but his face tells a different story.

“I blew it up _one time_ -”

“And now you’re banned for life.”

“I don’t need to be reminded of that every Christmas, you a-” She stops herself when she remembers where she is. Swearing on the Flowerground is never a good idea.

Qrow seems to notice, because his grin only grows wider. He doesn't say anything else to her, so Raven finds her mind drifting to her dreams.

The dreams had been slowly escalating, but a few nights ago, there had been a sudden spike in the amount of blood in her mouth. Raven remembers the feeling of a gleaming golden blade plunging into her gut well, just another part of her last Nemesis Dream. She hasn't mentioned them to Qrow much, and despite the fact that he's obviously having dreams too, his eyes haven't looked any redder. Hers, on the other hand... well, even Cinder had scurried out of her way without a challenge that morning.

The Flowerground starts and stops a few times while she thinks, growing closer to Netherwood. Given Netherwood's presence at the very end of the Rosalinda line, Raven is glad that her talent is what it is.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the vines push them and their trunks up through the ground so they land maybe thirty feet from their home. Raven stands up first, brushing the dust off her dress while Qrow gets to his feet.

She turns to the house and starts walking forward, dropping her trunk through portal after portal so she doesn't have to drag it. Qrow follows after her, his pace much slower.

Without offering to help him, Raven goes on ahead. She waits at the front gate for Qrow, who seems to be moving deliberately slowly. After a few seconds of watching him drag his trunk, she snaps her fingers and opens a portal under it.

Without his trunk, Qrow's pace is much faster compared to the speed before. Still, he seems slow, almost hesitant. 

Raven looks away from him and knocks on the door. She can't pretend that she doesn't squirm just a little as she waits for her parents to open the door.

Suspiciously quickly, their father turns the handle to let them in. He barely looks at them until the door is shut behind them, but when he turns, his smile is as warm as ever. "Welcome home," he says, and Raven nods, too focused on who stands behind him to speak.

Phoebe Branwen gives her a faint smile. "Hello, Raven." Her eyes flick to her son. "Qrow." Raven knows she isn't imagining the coldness in her tone. Maybe she's still mad about his idiotic idea to release that girl, and honestly, Raven can't blame her. 

The name Phoebe means bright, and the irony isn't lost on any of them, especially not when she and Qrow exchange glares. One blink, and her flint-sharp gaze is gone, replaced by one that would seem warm if it wasn’t so snakelike at the same time. She gives Raven a tight hug and steps towards Qrow.

His reaction is immediate. Qrow seems to flatten himself against the wall even more than he already has, shoulders tensing, eyes darting around the room as if looking for an escape. Their mother clearly notices, but her smile only grows.

Raven steps forward, carefully moving between her mother and Qrow. She keeps it as subtle as she can, but she’s not sure if her mother notices. “We have a lot to tell you, Mother,” she says, meeting Phoebe’s eyes.

Still giving her no sign of whether or not she understands the meaning behind Raven’s position, Phoebe considers it. Raven holds her breath until her mother nods and turns towards the living room down the hallway.

“Let’s sit down first,” Phoebe says smoothly, leading the way to their living room. When they’re all sitting on the couches, (and their father has gotten them some tea) Phoebe looks at Qrow and Raven and says, “Did you do everything I told you to?”

“I-” Raven begins, but her mother cuts her off.

“Not you.” Her attention turns to Qrow, and he barely meets her eyes before looking away again. Raven nearly screams at him not to look so guilty. “Qrow. Did you do as you were told?”

_Why is that any different from what I was told?_

Qrow shoots Raven a glance before he takes a deep breath and says, “Let’s see… Listen to Raven, do whatever she needs me to do, and never again do something stupid like… what I did. Yeah, I think I did pretty well.”

 _No, you didn’t,_ Raven thinks distractedly, her mind going a mile a minute. She’s always known that she was the favorite, but ordering Qrow to answer to her seems a little excessive. Or maybe not. They both know that he doesn’t belong in that top spot anyway.

“Do you agree, Raven?” Phoebe asks, snapping her back to reality.

“Yes, I do,” she replies stiffly. 

“And did you do what you were told to do?”

“We found an Everboy to target, and he’ll be dead by the end of the Snow Ball.”

“Good.” Phoebe smiles. “Did you win the Trial by Tale?”

Raven sighs, reluctantly turning to Qrow. “Actually, he did.”

Surprise flashes in Phoebe’s eyes for a brief second before it’s gone. She gives Qrow a faint, approving nod, only the slightest bit of pride in her expression. Their father’s smile is much wider, but it goes unnoticed by Qrow.

“I’m disappointed, Raven,” Phoebe murmurs. “You shouldn’t have lost such an easy competition. See that you don’t fail the next time around.”

Raven nods, her gaze moving to the floor. She waits for her mother to speak again.

Phoebe stands up. “You can tell me the rest at dinner. For now, change out of those dumpy rags. You look ridiculous.” As she leaves, she gestures to their father, clearly wanting him to follow her.

“I’m glad you’re home,” their father says, following her out.

Qrow looks to Raven the second they leave. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Raven snorts, standing from the couch. “Did they really tell you to listen to whatever I say?”

“What do you think?” Qrow sighs, heading towards the stairs. He glances back at her before he starts walking up. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

Raven barely acknowledges his words as she follows him upstairs. As an afterthought, she uses four portals to move their trunks into their rooms. It takes more effort than she’s willing to admit.

Dinner will be tense, she’s sure. It hasn’t been the same since Qrow freed that girl, and even their father’s efforts can’t fix that. If they’re lucky enough, they’ll be able to get to the gifts without too much interrogation. Then again, they’ve never been lucky.

 _It’s_ so _great to be home._

-

As predicted, dinner is understandably awkward. Qrow doesn’t speak much, not even to their father. Raven can’t blame him, but it does force her to speak for both of them, which she doesn’t appreciate.

After dinner, Raven goes upstairs to retrieve her gifts, wrapping them in one of Qrow’s spare capes to hide them. She has absolutely no intention of letting Qrow find out what his gift is early.

By the time she makes it downstairs, her father’s already taken out the two new outfits for them. Qrow grins at the opening for his cape on one of the many layers, and Raven can’t pretend that she hates the necklace that comes with hers.

Phoebe hands her a sheath the second she sets foot in the living room. “Should you ever break your sword, put it in this for a minute. It’ll be good as new before you know it.”

Raven takes it with a quick thank-you, studying its shape. It looks like it’ll fit Omen perfectly, but she won’t know until after the dinner. 

While she does that, her mother snaps her fingers. A shadow appears in her hand, lengthening and curving into the familiar shape of a heavily stylized scythe. Phoebe hands it to Qrow, who takes it almost reverently. “I suppose you’ve earned this back.”

“Thanks,” Qrow mutters, his attention on Harbinger. He stares at it for a second before he turns and leans it against the wall. 

“We got you these,” Raven says, digging around in her bundle to hand her father the box of glowing glass knives. “We thought they’d look nice with the rest of your collection.”

Her father doesn’t even thank them, too busy admiring the shining knives. Raven turns to her mother and holds out the book she stole from the School Master’s tower. 

“Ozpin’s?” Phoebe asks as she accepts it. Her triumphant smirk at Raven’s nod fades when she sees the title. Almost dramatically, she holds it up so they can all see it. “Aesop’s Fables? Really?”

Raven snickers at the book, but her attention moves to Qrow when he hands her the Pizzeria of Punishment certificate. He’s been doing similar things for years now.

“Just in case you ever feel the urge to go there again,” Qrow smirks.

“You’re partially to blame,” Raven grumbles. She grins when she remembers his present. “You’re going to hate this, you know.”

“Oh, I’m sure I will.”

Not bothering to unwrap the cape, Raven passes him the bundle. Qrow frowns, but he pushes the cape off as fast as he can. When he sees the gift, he looks up at her. “Seriously?”

Raven only shoots him a smug grin as he looks back down at the glass container. Inside floats a single rose, magically preserved and sparkling.

“A… rose?” Phoebe asks. 

“Inside joke,” Raven says, keeping her eyes on the flower. “And it’s not just any rose either. That’s the one and only rose that managed to hit-”

“I get it,” Qrow interrupts, giving her an exasperated grin. “But how did you even manage to get this?”

“I took it with me and learned a spell later that day. I’ve been saving it for months.”

“Ah.”

“Anyway, Mother, Father, did you want to hear about how Qrow met the prince who gave him that?”

Phoebe raises an eyebrow. “Of course.”

“Raven, no,” Qrow groans.

“You’re welcome to leave,” Raven replies, dropping him through a portal and into his room before he has time to protest. She turns to her parents. “So, we were in the Theater waiting for the Everboys…”

-

Qrow doesn’t even bother to leave his room as he frowns at the rose, rolling his eyes more than once. It really does look like the one Clover threw at him.

Speaking of Clover, he promised to write once he got home. Sighing, Qrow crosses the room to his desk, putting the rose down on it in its glass container. There’s no real developments to tell him about, except for maybe Raven’s new sheath and his scythe. With Harbinger, he might stand a chance against Raven.

_Not if you don’t have fire,_ he reminds himself. Tentatively, Qrow reaches out towards the candle on his desk with its tiny flame. He focuses on it as much as he can, trying not to tense up his hand too much. He’s not even surprised when nothing happens.

Qrow looks at the wall, a small bright spot in his vision where he was staring at the candle. He waits a few seconds before trying again. _I have to figure this out if I want to help Clover._

He tries at least three more times before he’s close to giving up. Qrow turns to the rose, which sparkles even more in the candlelight. 

_Like in the Trial by Tale_ , Qrow thinks before he can help himself, remembering the beautiful shimmer to Clover’s teal eyes. He lets his mind drift to Clover and the feeling of his hand in his. _I wonder what it would be like to actually go to the Snow Ball with him._

The candle flickers, its flame growing. Qrow’s attention snaps to it, but by the time he’s facing it fully, it looks the same as ever. After a minute of watching to see if it moves again, he remembers what he was thinking about before and freezes.

_That was… weird._

Shaking himself out of his thoughts once and for all, Qrow looks between the candle, the rose, and the blank piece of parchment in front of him. Eventually, his gaze settles on the rose.

“You know what?” Qrow mutters, reaching for it. “I have an idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some people put thought and effort into the names of their characters, and some just google what birds are black. on that note, I couldn't google if they celebrated christmas, so I had a conversation with my sort-of beta reader in which we found a specific passage where christmas gets mentioned.
> 
> I came up with this on a whim and I have a long list of people that I blame for this, with number one being myself. this was definitely not supposed to exist, let alone be this long.
> 
> anyway happy 4/20 or as ao3 insists, 4/21 but nO


	18. Mother Knows Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven prays that Qrow doesn't do something stupid. Meanwhile, Qrow prepares to do something stupid.

Raven reaches towards the fire in the center of the clearing, trying to block out the sounds of rustling leaves as she focuses. Across from her, Phoebe stands with her arms at her sides, one casually holding her spear while she keeps her eyes on the fire. Only the faintest sign of effort shows on her face, but when Raven tries to lower the flames, nothing happens. 

They’ve been doing this for almost longer than Raven can remember, ever since the day she had unlocked her power at one very unlucky Pizzeria of Punishment. To this day, she’s never managed to even come close to putting out the flame.

The fire flickers, dropping an inch. Raven makes no attempt to hide the triumph on her face- whether or not she puts out the fire is unimportant. This is a small victory in itself, even if it’s not likely to last.

Letting out a slow breath, Raven manages to ignore most of the sounds of the woods as she stares at the fire. If she looks away, she knows her vision will be dotted with bright spots, but she doesn’t need to look anywhere but here.

“Focus, Raven,” Phoebe snaps, just harsh enough to break Raven’s concentration. 

Raven looks up immediately, knowing that her mother isn’t stupid enough to do that without a reason. When she sees the smug grin on her face, she knows she’s right. Growling, Raven turns back to the fire and thrusts out her other hand.

Her focus lasts for about ten seconds where she’s barely aware of Qrow slipping into the clearing or her fingers curling into fists. All it takes is for Phoebe to let out one loud breath, and Raven loses her weak grip on the flames.

Raven shakes her head and takes a step forward, trying to wrestle the control of the fire away from her mother. She swears she can see the flames slowly drop, but Phoebe increases her efforts, and control slips away again. 

A few more attempts tell her what she already knows deep down. _I still can’t do this._ Raven drops a hand, ready to give up. She glances at Qrow, who notices her defeated look and frowns.

Still, Raven lowers her other hand, about to let go of her slight control- and stops when she sees the flames lessen until they’re almost nonexistent. Both hands are aimed at the fire immediately, a smile growing on her face while her mother’s eyes widen.

Qrow takes a small step towards the fire while it dims. Raven can’t be bothered to care- if she can just lower the flames a tiny bit more, she’ll have beaten her mother for the first time.

The fire springs up again, and Raven groans. Of course. Why would she even bother to hope that she could beat her mother?

“Something wrong, Raven?” Phoebe taunts. “I thought you almost had it.”

Raven stiffens, her eyes narrowing. She tries again, pulling at the flames, but every time she tries to focus, she remembers Phoebe’s smirk. Her growing frustration doesn’t help- with every second that passes, she can feel her control slipping.

She only realizes how strained her facial expression is when Qrow snorts and turns away. Raven glares at him until she realizes that that isn’t helping her with her task either and tries to go back to the fire.

It’s too late. Phoebe rips control away with no real sign of effort, the fire rising until she can feel the heat even when she’s standing far away. Raven gives up for good, dropping her arms to her sides.

Phoebe raises an eyebrow. “You’re not going to try again?”

“There’s no point in it,” Raven snarls. “I’m still not strong enough.”

“How do you think you get stronger?” Phoebe sighs. “You just need to be more confident in your abilities, Raven. All of us- well, most of us- have fire unrivaled by anyone outside of our family, and you’re no exception.”

Qrow, who’s turned back to the conversation, frowns, feeling the slight. “Wasn’t Father’s talent more powerful than yours combined, though?”

Fixing him with a cold stare, Phoebe pretends not to notice the darkness that swirls at his feet. He notices, though, and jumps back before the shadow grows. “It isn’t anymore,” Phoebe replies smoothly. “I made sure of that.”

Raven and Qrow exchange glances before she speaks up. “You… made sure of it?”

“I’ll teach you over the summer,” Phoebe shrugs. “For now, if you’re not going to try again, we’ll go back. Unless Qrow wants to take a turn.”

Qrow shakes his head immediately, keeping his gaze on the ground to watch for any signs of darkness under his feet. Phoebe snorts, but she doesn’t look surprised as she stalks away, leaving the fire still burning.

Raven walks after her, Qrow following a second later. She considers putting out the fire, but it’ll be fine. It should go out eventually.

A cold wind rustles the trees as Raven glances back, finding Qrow farther away than she expected to see him. He doesn’t notice her gaze as he watches the dying flames that soon go out entirely. Raven frowns- they shouldn’t have gone out so quickly.

_Did he do that?_

She dismisses the thought as soon as it comes. Their mother would have noticed if he could use his fire.

Still, something about how he walks after that, a new spring in his step, makes her skeptical. There’s a strange triumph in his expression that she doesn’t like.

Raven sighs and forces herself to keep walking. If he’s not telling her something, she’ll just have to keep a closer eye on him without making it too suspicious. It won’t be too hard, considering that she’s been watching him their entire time at the School for Evil.

_He’d better not do something stupid._

_If Mother finds out, I’m not saving him again._

-

A few hours after dinner, Raven heads upstairs and locks her bedroom door. It won’t keep her mother out, but at least she might consider leaving her alone. Raven raises a hand, five fireballs flickering into existence at once as she sits down.

It hasn’t been too long since the Trial, so it’s easy for her to remember Clover’s fighting style. She imagines him in front of her, sword out, and what he’ll do when she sends the first fireball at him. Grinning, Raven sends the first one forward-

“Raven.”

So much for her mother leaving her alone. Raven turns towards the door, where Phoebe steps out of a dark portal not unlike the red ones from her talent. 

Raven sighs. “What do you want?”

Phoebe’s gaze travels towards her dresser, where Raven’s gold necklace has been tossed. “I wouldn’t take that off if I were you.”

“Why not?” Raven frowns. “It’s just a necklace.”

“It’s more than that. Your eyes are looking awfully red, but you haven’t said anything about a Nemesis.” Phoebe crosses over to the dresser and picks up the necklace, holding it out to Raven. “This can help you.”

Confused, Raven doesn’t reach for the necklace yet. “How would a necklace help me find my Nemesis?”

“You’ll see.” Phoebe tosses it into her lap. “Do you have any idea who it is?”

“Clover, the Ever. And…” Raven trails off, sending a guilty glance towards where her brother’s room should be. “...Qrow.”

Phoebe doesn’t look surprised in the slightest. “It’s been known to happen. The best villains are never able to work together-”

“So what was the point of training us to work together?” Raven asks.

“You need him for now, Raven. But if he’s your Nemesis, and you’re already having dreams… it’ll be better if he dies. You can’t be happy until your Nemesis dies, and if you’re his Nemesis, then you’ll both be trying to kill each other. I’d rather have you win than him.”

The frank words shock Raven. Phoebe rarely admits her hatred of Qrow. “What?”

Phoebe rolls her eyes. “What I’m saying is that if I’m right and he’s your Nemesis, you need to be prepared. With your fire, it should be enough, but you never know what that talent of his can do.”

“I understand that, it’s just…” Raven shakes her head. “I’ll practice more, then.”

Saying nothing, Phoebe glances towards the necklace. Raven follows her gaze and sighs. “And I’ll wear the necklace.”

“Good.” Phoebe turns away, a dark portal opening in front of her. “We can start tomorrow after your brother leaves.”

“...Leaves?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Raven doesn’t ask again as her mother disappears through the portal. She clasps the necklace around her neck with the help of her talent, shivering as the cold metal touches her skin. She waits for her neck to adjust, but the golden chain feels cold as ever.

Her gaze wanders the room until it falls on the Pizzeria of Punishment certificate. She doesn’t look back at Qrow’s room, but a small frown appears on her face. Raven knows she can stomach killing Clover, but Qrow? At the very least, she’ll hesitate.

Shaking her head, Raven looks away from the certificate. _Get it together. If he’s your Nemesis, then you don’t have a choice._

_It’ll be worth it. It has to be._

-

Qrow wakes up in a warm world of swirling gold and knows immediately that it’s a dream. He stands up slowly, glancing around the area. As he looks, the outlines of walls and windows appear, followed by a gleaming chandelier.

_Where…?_

A figure moves in the golden mist, reaching towards him. Qrow frowns, squinting at the gloved hand that’s being held out to him and up at its owner. He can’t quite make out their face in the fog-

“Qrow.”

That’s Raven’s voice, no doubt about it. Qrow spins, his movements seeming horribly slow as he turns away. The warmth disappears as he looks into a void of black, his sister nowhere in sight.

Shivering, Qrow looks back to the gold. He extends a hand slowly, carefully, ready to pull it away at a moment’s notice if something seems wrong. Nothing happens as he takes the person’s hand and lets himself be pulled closer. Somewhere in the golden fog, he hears a familiar laugh.

The air changes again, and Qrow knows what’s going to happen before it does. He tries to turn, to dodge, to do anything, but his movements are still too sluggish to do anything.

A blade punches through his neck, the taste of blood filling his mouth. A Nemesis Dream, Qrow recognizes, staring down at the red metal. 

Red metal. Is that- is that _Omen?_

He doesn’t get another look before his eyes snap open and he finds himself back in his bed. Qrow sighs, a hand moving up to touch his neck. 

_Stabbing isn’t her style._

A murmur catches his attention, and Qrow looks up. He recognizes the faint sound of his mother’s voice through the wall, but he can barely make out the words.

“I’d rather… you... than him.”

It’s not exactly news to him, but Qrow still freezes. He knows Raven’s been having dreams, and although she hasn’t told him what hers include, that metal looked like Omen’s. And if his mother knows they’re having dreams, if she knows that they might be fated enemies, then she’s clearly going to help Raven every time. 

Qrow rubs his eyes and reaches for the letter on his nightstand. The voices stop soon after, and he pauses as he listens to his mother’s footsteps in the hallway. Once they fade, he relaxes.

_I need to get out of this house._

He looks at the letter, its envelope already open. Inside, he can just barely make out the neat handwriting in the darkness. 

_If I want to get out of here, this could be my chance._

_Mother won’t allow it._

Still, he can’t quite smother the spark of hope that remains. If he plays his cards right, he’ll be able to use this.

Then again, he’s never been good at playing cards.

Never mind that. He just needs to get out of here, and after that, well, he’ll have more than a little luck on his side. Qrow pulls the letter out of the envelope and lights his candle with a flick of his hand. He’s read it three times already, but what’s one more?

_Dear Qrow,  
Merry Christmas! Or maybe not, considering the date. And the fact that I told you that in person. (ugh, sorry. Someone needs to teach me how to write letters.)  
Anyway, seriously?  
I don’t even have to explain that one. First of all, how do you even have that..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what I did with the title. I know I talked about how cool chapter 17 and 18 were supposed to be, but SOMEONE hit writer's block and decided the only cure was Raven. so.... oops.
> 
> anyway happy mother's day no this was not a coincidence


	19. Gag Gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hey remember that rose?

“If we don’t get off in five seconds, I’m going to sneeze,” Robyn hisses as the vines yank them along, their boots dragging through flowers that release pollen with every movement. She covers her face with her arms as they ride through a cloud of pollen, rubbing her eyes furiously the second it passes.

“That’s probably the worst thing you can do here,” Clover replies, but he has to agree with her. How he ever got to the School for Good the first time without sneezing, he’ll never know.

Robyn turns to look at him with what he thinks is fake disdain, but with her eyes still covered, he can’t tell. “Wonderful observation.”

The Flowerground pushes them up too fast for him to react. The last thing Clover sees before he hits the dirt is Robyn sneezing so hard she tears one of the vines in half.

His trunk appears next to him, the vines pushing it retreating back into the ground. Clover glances around, waiting for Robyn to appear.

In front of him, the ground opens again, and the vines toss Robyn out, a few of the ruffles on her dress torn and dirty. Robyn stays sprawled across the ground for a few seconds, groaning. Her head tilts to the side, eyes catching on a familiar patch of flowers.

Eyes widening dramatically, Robyn scrambles to push herself up. “Hey, isn’t that-”

“Robyn!”

Clover knows who he’s going to see, but he still turns as fast as he can, Robyn doing the same. A dark-haired woman sprints towards them, her arms already opening for a hug.

“I’m about to die,” Robyn mutters, already wincing. 

Her mother practically tackles her, never slowing down. Robyn stumbles several steps backward before she regains her balance and hugs her mom back, a wide smile on her face. It takes several seconds before they separate, and even then, Robyn’s smile remains. Normally, it’s rare to see her smile so genuinely- most of those are reserved for Fiona, and she likes smirking a lot more anyway.

“I missed you,” her mother says, tilting her head to look down at Robyn. “Did you get taller?”

“Maybe,” Robyn shrugs. “We can check later.”

Nodding, her mother turns to Clover. He doesn’t have time to brace himself before she hugs him too, her grip so strong that he gasps for air. She steps back faster than she did from Robyn, eyes narrowing. “You look… pale.”

“...I do?”

Robyn snorts, enjoying Clover’s confusion maybe a little too much. “It’s his uniform, Mom. They cover everything up to here,” she explains, tracing a line on her neck. 

Frowning, her mother asks, “You? Wearing something that covers your arms? I don’t believe it for a second. Who are you, and what have you done with Clover Ebi?”

“I don’t exactly do it willingly,” Clover says, glaring at the blue sleeve poking out of his trunk. 

“You should have seen how quickly he took off his jacket once we were on the Flowerground,” says Robyn, catching the look he’s giving the trunk. 

“That’s because jackets are awful,” Clover grumbles, finally looking back to Robyn and her mother. “I don’t know why they expect us to be able to _fight_ in them.”

“Try heels and a long skirt first and then we’ll talk.”

Shaking her head, Robyn’s mother turns towards the path that she came from. “Are you two hungry? Christmas- well, late Christmas- dinner is ready at any time.”

At the mention of food, Robyn brightens even more and squints down the path. Clover follows her gaze, and although he can’t see what she’s looking at, he knows what to expect.

Seeing the answer on Robyn’s face, her mother spins on her heel and starts heading down the path. Clover and Robyn follow her after a brief pause, grinning when they see the house around the corner.

All three of them speed up at once, Clover outpacing Robyn and her mother. He reaches for the door handle before he remembers what’ll happen if he yanks too hard. He doubts the door’s been fixed since Robyn nearly broke it down.

Clover slows down, pulling the handle with only slightly more force than he needs. He feels a slight tug on the other side before the door opens, revealing his father on the other side.

His father is the spitting image of Clover save for his more tanned skin and brown eyes. The smile that spreads across his face mirrors Clover’s, and Clover only has a split second to brace himself before he’s being crushed against his father’s chest.

“Welcome home,” his father murmurs before releasing him. “How was school?”

Clover turns around to glance at Robyn. They give each other a look that clearly says _we’re not going to tell them we almost died_ before Clover turns back. “It was great! Nothing dramatic or dangerous at all.”

His father raises an eyebrow. “...Marian?”

Robyn’s mother sighs and holds out a hand that Clover takes after a slight pause. “So, how was school?” She asks.

“It was great, like I said.”

“And the part after that?”

Robyn turns away, whistling as she tries to leave. Marian puts an arm out to stop her. Slumping, Robyn crosses her arms and waits.

“Nothing… dramatic or dangerous at all.”

As expected, Marian’s hand lights up in red. “So, how many ways did you nearly die?” Marian asks. “Two? Three?”

“Let’s see… just in the Trial by Tale, I met some possessed scarecrows, then I got jumped by a crog, then immediately after that, one of the top Nevers tried to kill us both, but then we got saved by another Never. After that, we got shredded by harpies, the Never that saved us attacked me and sent me back, after which point she and her brother almost killed Clover.” Robyn counts on her fingers as she speaks. “So, in total, I think six?”

“You forgot-” Clover begins before he thinks better of it.

Marian narrows her eyes. “Forgot what?”

“The dragon,” Clover admits, hanging his head as Marian’s hand lights up green. “There was also a dragon.”

“Of course there was a dragon,” she groans. 

“You’ll have to tell us all about it,” Clover’s father says, stepping out of the doorway so everyone else can come in. “But first... dinner’s ready.”

-

It takes Clover and Robyn a long time to finish their story, mostly because Robyn and Marian have a habit of butting in every three seconds. By the time they finish, all of them are done with their dinner and the moon is rising in the sky.

Marian speaks first. “How does all of that even happen in a few months?”

“Believe me, I have the same questions as you,” Clover replies. 

“I guess that means no answers,” Marian sighs. “But at least you’re not dead?”

Clover nods. They fall into silence only broken by the sound of Robyn trying to fit a too-large strawberry into her mouth. 

Once Robyn finishes the strawberry and reaches for another one, Clover’s father speaks up. “Let’s not think about your multiple near-death encounters anymore. Surely something good must have happened?” A slightly sly grin spreads across his face. “Clover, maybe you met a girl?”

Robyn lets out a noise that sounds more like _achsdshfghj_ than an actual word and starts choking on her strawberry, coughing for a suspicious amount of time. Finally, she takes a deep breath, her coughs stopping, rests her chin on her hand and smirks at Clover.

“Is that a yes?” Marian asks, exchanging glances with Clover’s father. “I mean, even if it’s not, it’ll have to be a yes sooner or later. The Snow Ball’s coming up, after all.”

Clover blinks at the mention of the ball. She’s right- there’s less than two months until it arrives, and he remembers Qrow’s warning well. He makes a mental note to plan with Robyn tomorrow before he remembers his father’s question. “It’s a no.”

“Robyn?” Marian asks hopefully.

“Nope.”

Clover turns to her and raises an eyebrow as discreetly as he can. Robyn holds her hands up in surrender, but quickly puts them behind her head when their parents shoot her a quizzical look.

“But what about the Snow Ball?” Marian throws her hands up in the air. “If you don’t get dates, the consequences aren’t exactly good. Especially for you, Robyn. Please tell me you at least have someone in mind.”

Robyn shifts in her chair, fidgeting with the misshapen pin that she and Fiona had made together. On it is a crude drawing of a bird with its wings outstretched, the symbol that Fiona designed for her. “I, uh…”

“I have someone in mind,” Clover interrupts, earning a grateful grin from Robyn.

“But you said you didn’t meet a girl!”

“Good luck explaining this one,” Robyn hisses so quietly that their parents don’t hear.

“Um… that’s because I-”

“Is that a present I see?” Robyn screeches, effectively cutting him off. It’s his turn to silently thank her while she lunges for a box under her mother’s chair. She stands up, sliding a few boxes out from under the table.

“Yes, it is,” Clover’s father replies, barely thrown by the change in topic. 

“The one by your foot is yours,” Marian says to Robyn.

Robyn yanks the top of the box off before she can say another word and pulls out a large pillow. She blinks at it for a second before turning to gape at her mother. “How can we even afford a cumulus-nimbus pillow? And with dewdrop embroidery too!”

“Your father stopped by,” Marian answers. “He can’t make it to Jaunt Jolie before you go back to school, I’m afraid. The Sheriff is still being, well, a royal pain in the ass.”

While Robyn thanks her mother, Clover takes the boxes that Robyn passes him. He opens the first to find a pillow identical to Robyn’s, but his father stops him before he can open the next one.

“It’s not much of a Christmas gift if I tell you this, but you shouldn’t open the ones from me until the Circus of Talents.”

“But the Circus of Talents is over a month away!” Robyn squawks, shaking her present. 

“I’m sure it’s worth the wait,” Clover says. He turns to his father and Marian. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Marian smiles. 

“Okay, our turn,” Robyn says, standing and hurrying to Clover’s trunk. It takes her a moment to open it and rummage through its contents, which had been neatly organized a few seconds prior. She returns with a small box, which she slides across the table to their parents so quickly that it almost falls off the other side.

Marian opens it quickly, revealing a pile of candy. She drools over it with Clover’s father for a second before squinting at Robyn and asking, “Is this from Hansel’s Haven?”

Robyn nods.

“So that’s why you made me stand guard,” Clover groans.

“What happened to ‘temptation is the path to evil’ and all of the warnings about stealing?” Marian asks.

“First of all, they said at the Welcoming that souls don’t change, so I don’t see the problem. Second, it runs in the family.”

“I guess it does,” Marian sighs.

Robyn and Clover waste no time after that to exchange their presents. The horrible sewn robin that Robyn hands him looks suspiciously like it was made from scraps of the hallway carpet, while Clover’s even more horrible friendship bracelet of stems, twigs and clovers is blue this year. Marian and his father shake their heads, muttering something about this being the eleventh year in a row.

Just as Clover stands up to put the robin in his trunk, a plume of glitter sprays from the ground, so bright that he closes his eyes. When he looks again, there’s a shining silver box with Robyn’s name on it in front of her.

“What is-” he begins, but he’s interrupted by a roar as flames spring from the ground. Everyone shouts in alarm, but the fire extinguishes itself as quickly as it appeared, leaving no scorch marks on the floor- just a black box, topped with a letter. He leans down and picks it up, studying the bird seal on the envelope before flipping it over to see familiar handwriting.

Marian leans over. “Are you going to open them?”

Robyn doesn’t respond, carefully lifting the shining lid off of her box. She reaches in, pulling out a silver necklace with a symbol that matches her pin.

“You’re sure you don’t have a prince?” Clover’s father deadpans.

“A princess, actually,” Robyn admits, gauging everyone else’s surprised expressions with only a hint of nervousness.

Marian takes her hand. “Say that again.”

“I have a princess.”

Her hand emits a green glow, and Marian lets go of her daughter’s fingers. Robyn and Clover wait in anticipation as the silence stretches on.

Still saying nothing, Marian holds her hand out to Clover’s father. He sighs and hands her a small stack of coins. She grins at Robyn. “Good for you.”

Robyn lets out a quiet sigh of relief before turning to Clover. “Are you going to open yours?”

Clover nods and looks back to his own present, carefully opening the letter. The note is short, and the spaces between the lines of ink are unnaturally large, as if the person who wrote it was trying to take up space. He knows better than to assume that, though, and makes a mental note to hold the note over a candle later.

_Rae gave me this, but I thought you’d appreciate it more. -Q_

He frowns, unsure of what could be in the box. Setting aside the note, Clover slides the top off of his present.

A soft pink light fills the area around him the second the lid is gone. His father leans over, Marian and Robyn copying his movements. Robyn, being the closest, catches a glimpse of what’s inside first and collapses on the floor, wheezing into the dusty carpet.

Clover sighs, reaches into the box and pulls out a glass container that holds a single rose inside. A glance at the note in the bottom of the box that reads and yes, it’s that one confirms his suspicions.

“How did he even get that?” Robyn cackles from her place on the floor.

“Ra-” Clover catches himself, remembering that he told his parents Raven’s name. “He says his sister gave it to him, but besides that, your guess is as good as mine.”

“Is that a red rose I see?” Clover’s father asks. “Do you have a princess- or a prince- after all, Clover?”

“Not really.”

“Yes,” Robyn mutters.

“Well, lucky you,” Marian says, and they all snort.

When his father smirks, Clover can’t pretend that he’s not a little scared. When his father gets that look on his face, he’s up to something.

“We have plenty of time before the vacation ends,” his father says thoughtfully. “Why not invite them both over?”

“Seconded,” Marian pipes up.

“Sure,” Robyn says as she stands up. “I think I left my stationery in my room- Clover, want to come get it with me?”

Clover sends her a questioning glance, but her face says trust me, so he follows her out of the house and down the path to Robyn’s house. 

Once they’re definitely out of earshot of their parents, Robyn turns to him and asks, “So, are you going to invite Qrow?”

“I don’t know,” Clover admits. “I mean, I want to, but if they find out who he is…”

“...It’ll be a disaster,” Robyn finishes. She grins. “Then again, that gives you all the more reason to spend time with him alone, doesn’t it?”

“ _Robyn_ ,” Clover grumbles.

“I’m just stating the truth. Besides, I’m sure it won’t be hard to hide if you warn him ahead of time not to arrive in a cloud of darkness or something.”

“Then I’ll do it,” Clover decides.

Robyn spins around immediately and starts walking in the opposite direction. “Good, because I didn’t have stationery in my room anyway and it would be a pain to go all the way there and back just for you to say no.”

Clover laughs, following her back into the house. Luckily, their parents don’t question it when they return empty handed. Robyn passes him a piece of parchment and a quill, and they use her trunk as a surface to write on.

“Where’d you get his address?” Robyn asks once he seals the envelope.

“He gave it to me just before the break,” Clover replies. “So we could plan for, you know…” He checks to make sure their parents aren’t listening. “Raven.”

“Ah.” Robyn doesn’t say anything after that as she takes the letters outside. 

While he waits for her to return, Clover leans against the wall and sighs, his gaze falling on the glowing rose and the letter next to it. Remembering the odd spacing, he hurries over and brings the letter and rose to his room.

Clover lights a candle, finding that he’s able to make out words between the sentences. The writing is tiny and cramped, and he has to lean down further to read it.

_All right, if you’ve figured out how to read invisible ink, I hope you know how to read my handwriting. Let’s be honest, my handwriting is probably the bigger problem. Anyway- day one of being back at home, and suddenly I’m starting to understand how you felt in the Trial by Tale. I’m sure I’ll be fine so long as my father’s here- he’s terrified of my mother too, of course, but if it really comes down to it, he’ll keep her from actually hurting me. Probably._

_Okay, enough of that. I’m running out of space on the back of this thing. I’ll send you a letter soon, and we can start talking about what we’re going to do about Raven. I hope you like the gift. Or something like that._

_P.s. I’m not saying you should infiltrate the house and break me out of here but that’s exactly what I’m saying. (just kidding, but don’t hesitate to share any ideas for convenient excuses that’ll let me leave the house.)_

Clover frowns. Qrow is rarely scared, let alone terrified. And yet, his brief mention of his mother…

_Just what kind of family does he have?_

-

One minute, Clover’s crawling into his small bed, and the next, he’s kneeling in a world of golden mist. The landscape slowly starts to shape itself as he looks around until he recognizes his school’s Grand Hall.

Shadows stir in front of him, and a figure rises between the darkness, face hidden by the mist. Something in Clover tells him to reach out, so he does, and the figure reaches back.

The figure takes his hand, and only then does the mist shift to reveal a familiar flash of crimson. Clover lets out a surprised laugh, unable to resist the urge to pull the figure closer-

And then it’s gone in a flash of bright red, faster than he can react. Clover spins, his movements sluggish, and watches in horror as the golden light fades to grey. 

_What’s going on?_

The grey starts turning to black, and that’s when the fear sets in. It feels like he’s drowning, but there’s no liquid in sight, only the blackness that expands in every direction until he can barely move, barely breathe-

The dream ends faster than it began, and Clover finds himself back in his bed. A shiver passes down his spine at the sight of the pitch-black room, and he takes a deep breath to calm himself.

_It was just a dream._

So why did it feel so real?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmm I wonder
> 
> anyway happy father's day no this was not a coincidence either
> 
> I... haven't named either of the dads that appear in person. (the third one you can probably guess) and that's kind of sad because father's day. so Qrow's dad is probably named Sterling because bird theme but also starling sounds vaguely odd. I asked Kyra for a random name for Clover's dad and she suggested Edward but the name Eddy Ebi almost sent my 4 braincells into a war between "do it for the meme" and "nO"
> 
> this also kicked my plot outline off a cliff. so hi, person who knew what this chapter was supposed to be beforehand and also can probably guess what clover's dad gave him 
> 
> also I'm back it's been a while xD


	20. New Year's Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> my friend, right after I badly explain the plot to them: so this is the beach episode  
> me: ....ok well  
> me: pretty much yeah
> 
> me, 3 days later: wait clover actually lives on the beach
> 
> welcome to the beach episode where I bring the beach up very rarely

Getting Phoebe to allow him to leave is easy. _Too_ easy. All Qrow does is mention the invitation as casually as he can at breakfast the next day, and before he knows it, Raven is telling Phoebe about how necessary it is for their Evil trap.

“It might take a while for Qrow to win his trust,” Raven explains. “The invitation says he can stay as long as he wants, so he might as well stay for a while. Just to be safe.”

 _Just to be safe_ , Raven says, shooting him a meaningful look so fast that he could have imagined it. He gets the idea that she’s not as worried about Clover trusting him as she says.

Phoebe considers it for a few seconds, leaving Qrow and Raven to wait in anticipation for her verdict. Finally, she nods. “You’re going to go for a few days, not the entire vacation. Make sure he suspects nothing.”

_...Oops. A little too late for that one._

“And _don’t_ disappoint me,” Phoebe finishes, a small smile on her face. He doesn’t like the look of that smile, but it’s too late to change his mind.

He finishes packing by noon. If Raven notices that Harbinger is missing when she comes to check on him, she doesn’t mention it.

“You’re stuck riding the Flowerground,” she says, her expression a mixture of _it sucks to be you_ and _no really, it sucks to be you._ “Try not to sneeze.”

“I don’t need the reminder,” Qrow snorts.

Phoebe doesn’t come to say goodbye, but his father gives him a hug before turning and walking wordlessly back into the house. As Qrow turns, he catches sight of his sister leaning against the wall.

“I know I was the one who convinced her to let you go, but did you really have to leave me alone with Mom?” Raven asks, and although her tone is flippant and uncaring, it doesn’t hide the slight panic on her face. 

“Put it this way, Rae– if she had to push one of us off a cliff, which one would she throw as hard as she could?”

Raven frowns like she knows something he doesn’t– except he can probably guess what she’s thinking about. He didn’t hear the full conversation last night, but it can’t be anything good. When he snaps himself out of his thoughts, her strange expression is gone. “Whichever one _disappointed_ her that day,” she snorts, making a face.

Qrow can’t help but laugh. “Fair.”

“You have a chance to make sure this all works perfectly,” Raven says, changing the subject with ease. The last bits of the solemn mood disappear completely. “It couldn’t hurt to turn up the charm a little.”

“Rae?”

“Yes, brother dear?”

“Shut up.”

Raven pretends to consider it. “Not a chance. Listen, I know I was _mostly_ joking when I said you could try seducing him, but it _would_ work pretty well.” She points a finger at him, glaring. “But if you get too attached, I’ll kill you myself.”

“Something tells me you’ll have to get in line for that one.”

Sighing, Raven pushes herself away from the wall. To his surprise, she wraps his arms around him and hugs him tight– maybe a little too tight, considering that he can barely breathe. “Good luck, little brother.”

“I’m not _that_ much younger,” he grumbles, returning the hug. “I’d say good luck to you, but…”

“I know,” she says, letting him go and heading back into the house.

Qrow stares after her, frowning. He’s never seen her act like that before. Sure, she’s come close when she’s feeling ridiculously happy, but she’s never been like this. Besides, being here should make her even more miserable than she normally is.

_It says something about my family when I’m suspicious of a hug and some good wishes, doesn’t it?_

The Flowerground ride is surprisingly tolerable, and he certainly doesn’t complain when the vines don’t tie him as tightly as they used to. Still, the Flowerground is the Flowerground, and what would it be without pollen that makes even the best Ever want to sneeze?

Qrow finds himself pushed through the ground and sitting next to a tree before he knows it. He takes a second to stand up and look around, taking in his surroundings. A path half-beaten in the grass leads to a small house, and beyond it, he thinks he can hear the ocean. And standing right next to him, in a dress considerably nicer than the usual Evergirl uniform, is Fiona Thyme.

Fiona seems to notice him at the same time, her eyes lighting up in surprise. No hostility, so Clover must’ve told her about what he’d explained a few nights ago. “Qrow? Are you staying over too?”

He nods. “Yeah–”

“Did Clover invite you?” Fiona interrupts, a hint of a smirk on her face. She sees his expression, and the smirk grows a little more. “Who am I kidding? Of course it was Clover.”

Qrow feels the heat rising to his cheeks as he asks, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Careful,” Fiona teases. “You sound like Willow.”

“I hate to say it, but Fiona’s right.”

Both of them turn to see Robyn stepping out from the trees, her expression mirroring Fiona’s. “You did send him a rose.”

Fiona pauses. “...He sent _what?_ ”

Qrow sighs. “That’s out of context.”

“Sure it is,” Robyn snorts. She turns and starts leading them down the path to the house. “Fiona, you might want to change into something more casual. There’s not much to do around here that doesn’t involve getting your clothes dirty.”

“This is the most casual thing I have,” Fiona says, her gaze falling to the floor. While Robyn tries to figure out what to say, Fiona manages to change the subject. “Oh! You’re wearing the necklace!”

“I haven’t taken it off since I got it,” Robyn tells her.

When Fiona giggles and the two start walking closer, Qrow decides he might as well leave them to it. He starts trying to walk around them, but they’re walking too fast for him to do it casually.

Luckily, Clover and a man who can only be his father choose that moment to appear from behind the house. Clover’s eyes fall on him immediately, and he leaves his father to run over.

He resigns himself to getting plenty of surprise hugs today when Clover wraps his arms around him. The hug is significantly more gentle than Raven’s, and he isn’t complaining. Then again, there’s also the fact that it’s Clover, and being this close to him feels both completely natural and strangely familiar.

“Dad doesn’t know you’re a Never,” Clover whispers, close enough for Qrow to feel his breath on his neck. “We didn’t tell him your name, but you probably shouldn’t mention your sister.”

“Got it.”

Clover releases him, and they keep walking towards the house. Ahead of them, Fiona introduces herself to Clover’s father. Somehow, Qrow doubts telling him his last name is a good idea.

“Qrow Xiao Long,” he says without missing a beat when Clover’s father asks. Being stuck in a house with Phoebe Branwen tends to help you practice lying.

“So it’s a prince,” Clover’s father says.

“ _Dad_ ,” Clover groans, but he doesn’t exactly deny it. His father smiles knowingly and leaves them to greet Robyn’s mother. 

“So,” Clover says once he meets Marian, “What do you want to do?”

“There is the slight issue of my sister trying to kill you,” Qrow says dryly. “Do you have a sword?”

Nodding, Clover leads him past the house to a cliff overlooking the beach. They half-walk, half-slide down the path on the side of the cliff until they reach the bottom. Clover pushes aside a large rock, revealing a hole carved into the cliff face. He reaches past the crossbow inside and pulls out a cutlass, shaking it to get rid of the sand.

“A cutlass?” Qrow asks, eyeing the slightly rusted blade. “I didn’t think that was your style.”

Clover snorts. “Are you talking about the fishing rod?” When Qrow nods, he explains, “Jaunt Jolie has a pirate problem. I used the fishing rod until I got my hands on one of their swords.”

“No wonder you already knew how to fight by the Trial by Tale,” Qrow realizes. “I was always curious as to why Raven didn’t shred you… at least not completely.”

“Right, I’ll never survive a fight with her. Thanks for the reminder,” Clover sighs, but there’s no real irritation in his voice.

“You will,” Qrow replies. “You have all of us this time, and I happen to be an expert in this field.”

Clover raises an eyebrow as they start walking back up the cliff. “An expert in what? Fighting your sister? Something tells me you don’t exactly fight to the death very often.”

Grinning, Qrow says, “It’s about time I teach you my Five Rules of Dealing With Raven.”

-

“Rule one,” Qrow calls across the clearing, “is to stay away from flammable objects.”

Clover pauses, glancing around at the trees surrounding them and the dry grass he’s standing on. “So we’re here because… why?”

“Because I doubt she’s going to give you the luxury of a choice,” Qrow says. He tries to keep the signs of effort off his face as he summons the largest fireball he can. 

The largest fireball he can summon is definitely _not_ supposed to be as large as this one is. Flames grow dangerously close to the surrounding trees before Qrow hurriedly extinguishes them, staring at the space where the fireball just was in shock. He’s never managed to make one even close to that big before. Sighing, Qrow summons a small fireball instead. Clover eyes it warily, raising his cutlass as if he can use it to deflect the fire. 

“I’m not going to throw this,” Qrow says once he’s sure he has it under control. “Obviously, she would. Unless you’ve suddenly gained control over fire, there’s no way you’re going to deflect it. So your only option left is to dodge it— except if you did that here, there’s a good chance that you’d quickly find yourself in the middle of a forest fire. In summary, pray that she chooses Halfway Bridge for the final showdown.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Run like hell. Speaking of which, rule two is to keep moving. I can’t count how many times I’ve woken up in the middle of a lake. If she ever forces you to stand still for more than three seconds, you can expect a portal opening right beneath your feet.

“Rule three— get someone to watch your back. It’ll be harder for her to pull anything off when there are two people to burn to a crisp. Hopefully, at least one of us will be near you when she arrives. At the very least, you’ll have your Snow Ball date. And, if we’re lucky, you’ll have me. That _should_ solve the fire problems.”

“Hold on,” Clover says before he can continue. “Speaking of fire, could you always… you know, do that?”

Qrow shakes his head. “I just figured it out a few days ago. It’s not usually this strong, but I’ll take it.”

“How did you figure it out?”

“You… do not need to know that.”

Clover shoots him a puzzled look, but he doesn’t question it. “Fine. What’s rule four?”

“Make her think she’s already won. If she starts monologuing, then you’ll have plenty of time to…” He trails off mid-sentence, unsure of what to say next. 

Noticing his hesitation, Clover asks, “To do what?”

“I don’t know,” Qrow admits. Raven isn’t going to stop just because they fend her off one night. What can they do? Imprison her? Kill her? The thought of either makes Qrow feel sick to his stomach. 

As if he can read his mind, Clover says, “There must be a way we can stop her without seriously harming her, right?”

“She’ll come back,” Qrow sighs. “If she’s able to, she’ll try again. Raven won’t give up that easily. So what do we do? The closest dungeon is…”

“The Doom Room,” Clover finishes. “And that’ll only make her worse.”

“Exactly. Then again, the Doom Room is nothing compared to what she’d do to you.”

_And what she’ll do to me if we lose._

Clover frowns. “What _would_ she do to me?”

Qrow meets his eyes. “Do you really want to know?”

“No, I guess I don’t,” Clover says, seeing his expression. He hesitates before asking, “Do you want to finish this later? We could always go back to the beach. It might help us think.”

“It’s okay. I’d rather just do what we came here to do,” Qrow replies. He leans down to pick up the bundle by his feet. 

Clover’s expression turns to what Qrow would almost describe as awe when he pulls the cloth off Harbinger, and Qrow can’t help but grin. His eyes only widen further when Qrow switches it into sword form, watching it slowly straighten out.

“How did you…”

“A lot of trial and error and a little magic,” Qrow replies. “Anyway, I don’t fight exactly like Raven, but this should still be good practice.”

“Are you sure you’re not going to kill me with that?”

Qrow snorts. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” 

As soon as he sees Clover raise his sword, he darts across the clearing and spins into his first strike, which Clover blocks with a grunt of effort. He can’t blame him— Harbinger is a lot heavier than his cutlass.

As they fight, Clover almost always on the defensive, Qrow resists the urge to switch back to a scythe. It’s been so long since he’s even gotten to hold this, much less fight with it. Still, Raven certainly doesn’t use a scythe, so he sticks to the sword form.

A branch breaks over Clover’s head, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he swings again, the branch landing just behind him. Qrow only grins. He’s never fought someone immune to his talent, after all. But how much misfortune can Clover’s talent resist?

Qrow amplifies his talent only a little bit at first. Clover seems to notice when he almost slips, but after that, it’s clear that his luck has been amplified too. So he pushes his talent a little further, and Clover does too.

By the time their strikes have slowed down, half of Qrow’s energy is going into maintaining his talent. When they pause for breath across the clearing from each other, Qrow’s jaw nearly drops. Clover looks _exhausted_. How he’s still standing is a mystery.

Smirking, Qrow takes his time in stalking forward, ready to disarm Clover. As predicted, Clover blocks his swing, but Qrow twists his sword, knocking the cutlass across the clearing.

Clover only sighs, but when Qrow steps forward to put Harbinger to his throat, he leaps up to grab a tree branch. Luck is probably the only thing keeping it from snapping. Letting go of the branch, he lands on the flat of Harbinger’s blade. Qrow’s arm dips a fraction, but he manages to wedge Harbinger into the tree.

“How you’re still holding that is beyond me,” Clover says, jumping off the blade and over Qrow’s head.

He tries to spin, but with his sword still stuck in the tree, it’s no easy task. Meanwhile, Clover lands lightly behind him, turns, and knocks his feet out from under him.

By the time Qrow’s recovered enough to sit up, Clover has Harbinger pointed at his throat. “I guess rule four also applies to you,” Clover teases.

“Shut up,” Qrow groans, taking the hand Clover offers him. He brushes the stray blades of grass off his outfit, sighing. 

The sound of rustling grass is the only warning they get before Robyn appears in the clearing. She makes it two steps before she trips over a rock, barely catching herself before her face hits the ground. Hissing a curse under her breath, she takes a second to push herself up. “Really, Qrow?”

It doesn’t take him long to figure out what she means. Qrow stops amplifying his talent, feeling far less tired the second he lets it go. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she replies. Robyn’s eyes fall on Harbinger for a second, and she stares at it in surprise. “What’s that?”

“Harbinger,” Qrow says. “My scythe.”

“It doesn’t look like much of a scythe.”

Instead of replying, Qrow starts Harbinger’s transformation, grinning when he sees the surprise in Robyn’s expression. “How about now?”

“...Oh.” Robyn spins, ready to leave, but pauses just before she disappears into the trees. Glancing over her shoulder, she says, “By the way, we’re all going to the stream in five minutes. Fiona and I got all the flowers ready.”

As Robyn leaves, Qrow asks, “Flowers?”

“New Year’s tradition,” Clover answers. “You’ll see.”

Qrow shoots him a puzzled glance, but Clover isn’t about to give him any more of an explanation. “Should we go, then?”

“Do I need to know rule five?”

Oh, right. He never _did_ tell Clover the fifth rule before they sparred. Qrow considers it, but he shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

“All right.”

Once they put their weapons away, Clover leads him to a small stream. Robyn and Fiona are already there on the opposite side, piles of flowers on the grass next to them.

“Where’s Marian? And Dad?”

Robyn smirks. “They decided to leave us alone this year. I can’t possibly guess why.”

Qrow turns to Clover, but he seems to have recently developed the inability to look him in the eyes. He can still guess what Robyn’s trying to imply by the look on her face, but he decides to ignore it.

“Robyn, please,” Clover grumbles as he sits down.

“You’re only annoyed because I’m right,” she shrugs, carefully balancing on the rock in the center of the stream to pass them a bundle of flowers. “Anyway, the sun should be gone any minute now, so we should probably start.”

Clover nods, gesturing for Qrow to sit next to him. “Do you know how to make a flower wreath?”

“I’m pretty sure all the flowers within a mile radius of the house are dead,” Qrow sighs. “Apparently, they’d ruin the aesthetic.”

“Why am I not surprised,” Robyn yawns. “After all, what’s worse for your image than a little daisy fifty feet from your house?”

Qrow laughs as he sits down. “I said something like that to my mother once. Let’s just say it didn’t go over very well.” His smile becomes slightly strained when he remembers the long lecture she had given him. If only that was the worst she was willing to do now.

Noticing his expression, Clover frowns slightly, but doesn’t say anything. Probably for the best, anyway. New Year’s Eve isn’t the best time to discuss family issues.

“Are you going to explain this to him, or should I?” Robyn asks, taking a few flowers from her pile. She starts twisting them together with practiced hands while she waits for Clover’s response.

“I’ll do it,” he says, turning to Qrow. “We have a New Year’s tradition to make flower wreaths and float them down the stream. The wreaths have to be made with flowers in multiples of twelve, and if they break apart before they’re out of sight, it’s bad luck for the New Year.” Clover grins as he adds, “I’ve never had one break before.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Qrow sighs, taking the first flowers from the bundle.

Clover shows him how to twist the flowers together like Robyn and Fiona are doing on the opposite bank. It takes Qrow the longest to finish, and by the time he’s done, the moon has risen in the sky.

Robyn stands up, holding her wreath. “You have to say a bad memory to forget from this year or it doesn’t count,” she explains. After a brief pause, she says, “The entire Trial by Tale.”

Fiona waits for Robyn to put the wreath in the water before she murmurs, “I think we could all stand to forget the Trial.”

“Then I’m also going to say the time Professor Anemone found me taking lollipops off the walls. That was… also not fun.”

“I want to forget Jacques’s entire existence,” Fiona says dryly, “but I _really_ don’t want to remember the time he barged into the Charity Tower dorms to try to talk to Willow.” She carefully lowers the wreath into the stream, watching it as it makes its way downstream.

“I hit a random Never in the face with a rose once,” Clover sighs, putting his wreath in the water. “I remember thinking that I was supposed to be lucky.”

“Really?” Robyn asks in mock surprise. “How did they react?”

“At first I thought I was going to get murdered on my first day,” Clover replies. “But now we’re friends, so maybe I was lucky after all.” He winks at Qrow.

Qrow glances at the stream, wondering if it’s deep enough to drown in. It would be worth it to hide his face— he can almost feel his face burning. _Gods, why is he like this?_

Luckily, Clover doesn’t notice Qrow’s reaction. But because the universe hates him, Fiona definitely does. She just gives him a knowing smirk and shakes her head.

Once Fiona has stopped shaking her head, Qrow puts his wreath in the stream. “I wouldn't mind forgetting the last few days I spent with my family. They weren’t exactly fun.”

_Then again, are they ever?_

“I thought you would want to forget the time your clothes got stolen during Mogrification practice and you had to wear a skirt,” Robyn snickers.

“Absolutely none of that was bad,” Qrow replies.

They watch the four wreaths float down the stream until they’re out of sight, waiting for one to break. None of them do, but Qrow’s comes dangerously close when it gets caught on a rock for a few seconds.

Clover and Robyn make eye contact, smirking and nodding at the same time. Neither of them say anything, but they still seem to have the same idea as they pick up the remaining flowers and start making another wreath.

While they sit in silence, Qrow’s mind drifts back to their main issue. Together, he and Clover shouldn’t have any problems with Raven, but she _does_ have a talent that makes it easy to separate them. Rule two should help them with that, as long as they follow it well.

Maybe he should tell Clover the fifth rule to dealing with Raven after all.

Robyn finishes her wreath a second before Clover, shouting in victory. While Clover hangs his head, she shows Fiona her wreath. Fiona leans down slightly to look at it, and Robyn takes the opportunity to put it on her head like a crown.

Fiona giggles, sitting up, and Qrow can’t help but laugh at her surprised face. She notices his laughter, but her attention quickly turns to something just above him.

Before he can look up, he feels Clover’s flower wreath settle on his hair. Clover grins at him and says, “There’s more than one reason we make these.”

“I never thought I’d see the day a Never _smiled_ while wearing a flower crown,” Fiona teases.

Qrow shoots her a weak glare, but they all know his heart’s not in it. Shrugging, Fiona glances down at the small pile of flowers remaining and starts to tie them together.

Not one to be outdone, Qrow starts making a wreath too. Whether he can actually do it without Clover’s help is debatable, but he’s definitely going to try.

-

Seeing as Fiona’s the only one that had the sense to bring her watch, they’re forced to rely on her to tell them when it’s midnight. Occasionally, she’ll hand the watch to Robyn, but she’s not willing to risk passing it over the stream.

“One minute,” Fiona says, effectively stopping Clover and Robyn’s debate on which candy classroom is the best. She angles the watch towards Qrow and Clover’s side of the bank so they can see its hand move slowly towards midnight.

Robyn only breaks the silence to say, “Ten seconds.”

“You know,” Clover begins a little too casually, “it’s tradition to kiss someone at midnight on New Year’s. For luck.”

“What are you implying?” Robyn asks, a shit-eating grin on her face.

“I’m not implying anything,” Clover snaps. He glances at Qrow, looking away when he notices.

Fiona shushes both of them. “Three seconds!”

Two… One…

“Zero!” Robyn shouts so loud that a small flock of birds takes off from a nearby tree. “Happy New Year, F-”

She breaks off when Fiona kisses her cheek, eyes widening in shock. Robyn blinks for a few seconds before she actually processes what just happened.

“I’m… starting to appreciate tradition,” Robyn says at last.

As far as he knows, Qrow has never seen either of them giggle. Now, though, that’s all they seem to be doing. He’s starting to realize why Robyn invited her over.

Averting his eyes, Qrow looks at Clover, only to find Clover’s eyes already on him. There’s a certain look in his eyes that Qrow can’t quite place.

After a slight pause, he realizes what it is. It’s how Summer looks at Tai and how Robyn looks at Fiona. And if he’s willing to acknowledge it, the way Tai used to look at Raven, if only for a short while. It’s a look that tells him that Clover was _definitely_ implying something, a look that reminds him of holding Clover’s hand in a dark library.

If he wanted to hide his face before, he definitely does now. Then again, Qrow isn’t exactly one to be outdone. 

Besides, two can play at this game.

Before any sense of rationality catches up to him, Qrow leans over and kisses Clover on the cheek. It’s hardly more than a light brush of his lips, but Clover freezes completely.

He hears Robyn make a sound between a wheeze and a screech, but ignores it as he waits for Clover’s reaction. “For luck,” he offers, never looking away from him.

Once Clover regains control of his body, he offers Qrow a soft smile. The combination of his expression and the flower crown on his head makes it hard for Qrow to not return the grin.

He doesn’t know who starts laughing first, but the next thing he knows, all of them are. Clover’s flower crown comes dangerously close to falling apart, but luckily, it stays intact. Gods, what Qrow wouldn’t give to be able to laugh like this at home. If the Branwen Manor can really be called _home._

Rule Number Five of Dealing With Raven— never get attached to anything. Once she notices that attachment, she’ll do whatever it takes to exploit it. It only makes things harder.

Well… four out of five is better than nothing, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I was back. evidently I am not back. or maybe I am? idk quarantine is really killing my braincells.
> 
> speaking of dead braincells enjoy these treasures I found in my drafts  
> \- while describing how clover makes a flower crown "with practiced fingers-" the words break off. all it says under it is "I WONDER WHAT ELSE HE CAN DO WITH THOSE F" I... I stopped mid-word but im already going to hell  
> \- robyn, telling them to come to the stream: "Fiona and I got all the flowers while you were busy banging" I closed the computer there, no doubt drawn away by gummy bears. when I returned I failed to read the previous line and continued writing  
> \- trying to write in a notebook to revive braincells: "qrow stopped sexting clover" god my handwriting will be the death of me
> 
> this was meant to be far more heterosexual but. the squad will be secret gaygents no longer 
> 
> ...thanks for reading~


	21. Totally Legitimate Reasons to Pose in Windows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title, but add "by fall out boy" after it
> 
> by panic!at the disco

Returning home after a few days of peace is nearly unbearable. Although his father manages to hold a long conversation with him before disappearing down the hallway, Qrow can feel that the atmosphere has… changed. Raven’s glares are harsher, her tone colder, and she grills him for information the second he arrives with a suspicious glint in her eye. Even stranger, when he points out her new necklace, she becomes oddly defensive, ending the conversation soon after.

It must be something that happened while he was gone that’s making her act so weirdly, but he doesn’t have a clue as to what it could be. His mother won’t even look at him, and his father isn’t exactly the talkative type anymore.

But whatever it is, its effects seem to lessen once they get on the Flowerground to return to school. For the first time in days, Raven seems to relax.

“I can’t believe we survived,” she says the second the vines wrap around her, securing her arms in place. 

“We survived sixteen years with them before this,” Qrow shrugs. “This vacation was nothing compared to that. Especially since I… well, you know what I did before we went to school.”

Raven barely seems to be listening to him, a frown quickly growing on her face. “I guess,” she replies at last.

Qrow’s eyes narrow, noticing her frown. “Rae? Are you okay?” Even as he asks, he can see the answer in her eyes.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Does he push her? Raven isn’t going to tell him otherwise, but what if he just makes it worse? Qrow opens his mouth, but closes it again.

“Look, Qrow,” Raven sighs. “I appreciate your concern. But I’m _fine._ ”

Sensing the finality in her tone, Qrow decides not to say anything. He spends the rest of the ride staring at the flowers as they go by— that is, until the Rosalinda Line meets the Violet Line. 

Clover appears as they both switch to the Hibiscus Line, his face lighting up when he sees Qrow. He waves, grin faltering slightly when he notices Raven. Beside him, Robyn elbows Clover, whispering something into his ear. He just elbows her back before they’re all forced up through the ground.

Strangely enough, although Clover was nearby while they were riding the Flowerground, he’s all the way across the bay when they resurface. Unable to find him in the crowds of Evers appearing on Good’s shore, Qrow follows Raven into Evil.

“Hey, Rae?” He begins right before she can take the first step up to Malice Tower. “You know you can tell me if something’s wrong, right?”

He gets a cool look in return, but since it’s an upgrade from the glares, he’ll take it. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

Raven huffs, spinning to stalk up the stairs. “I’ll see you in class.” 

Qrow crosses his arms, watching her go. Eventually, he climbs the stairs up Mischief Tower, hoping to beat his roommates there. If Tyrian walks in on him changing, he’ll never hear the end of it.

Still, Raven’s behavior is on his mind by the time he leaves for class a while later. It may not be morning anymore, but he still dreads listening to Castor scream until his ears bleed.

To his surprise, Castor is oddly subdued during Henchmen Training. By the time Qrow arrives, Castor is speaking to them in a normal voice. He saves his usual ear-splitting volume for shouting at the large group of creatures in front of the class.

Try as he might, Castor can’t stop a large white dog from pouncing on an unsuspecting cupid, not even with the help of a few wolves. Qrow ducks and shields his face as arrows go flying, followed by sharp white spikes from a baby crog. He feels several of the spikes dig into his arms, but they’re too small to do any real damage.

When Qrow looks up, even Raven is pulling spikes out of her hair. After a minute of Nevers picking spikes from their clothes and skin, Castor is able to explain what’s going on.

“Those,” he begins, glancing back at the scuffling group of creatures, “are going to be your sidekicks for a week.”

Qrow can’t hide his wince at the thought of dealing with any of the creatures in front of him for an entire week. Sure, he knew that the Sidekick Challenge would start soon after their break, but he’d never expected the sidekicks to be so… unruly.

“If you don’t keep your sidekick under control, it’ll probably kill you. So far that hasn’t happened, but if anyone’s gonna fail that miserably, it’ll be this class.”

“And what happens if we kill our sidekick?” Cinder asks with the air of someone who’s already considering it. Qrow wouldn’t be surprised if her sidekick showed up dead on day one— somehow, Cinder doesn’t seem like the kind of person to care for an animal.

Castor huffs, annoyance in every syllable as he responds, “Every damn year, there’s some worthless Never that can’t even keep an animal alive for seven days. Then I’ve gotta explain to the parents that their kid got killed, and that’s messy as hell.”

“So… are there any actual consequences for _us?_ ” This time, the question comes from Adam.

“You’ll kiss your position as a Leader goodbye,” Castor snaps. “Now, if you’re all done with the stupid questions, get over here and take a closer look at your options. You won’t know which one you’re getting until the challenge starts tomorrow, so don’t bother asking. I’ll watch you to see how you get along with these sidekicks and figure out which one to give you, along with keeping you from getting eaten.”

He steps aside to let the class approach the creatures, half of which are still fighting. After a short pause, Raven is the first to approach, her eyes falling on the white dog from earlier. Half of the wolves struggle to keep it away from a smaller animal— a fox. As Qrow watches, the wolves actively avoid the fox, trying to find other conflicts to settle instead of approaching the fox.

_Wolves hate foxes. Good to know._

When the fox steps away from the crowd, he sees its birdlike front legs and the feathery wings sprouting from its back. It’s not a fox at all— it’s an Enfield.

Qrow gets about two more seconds to stare at it before a spike goes whizzing past his ear. He takes a few steps back from the group, but he can’t find the Enfield again in all the chaos.

_Wait, if wolves hate foxes…._ A grin starts to spread across his face. That should be helpful for getting into Good.

Then again, what are the chances of him getting the one sidekick he wants? His luck isn’t exactly reliable. 

The second the period ends, Castor kicks them out, which is probably for the best. As Qrow leaves, yet another round of spikes go flying through the air. He’s just out of range, but he hears most of the Nevers behind him squawk in surprise and pain.

As long as he doesn’t get that crog, he’ll be fine. He can’t imagine the amount of spikes he’d have to dodge. 

Raven walks right past him without so much as a glance in his direction, and Qrow sighs. Cinder doesn’t even have time to step aside before Raven shoves her, disappearing around the corner with surprising speed.

Qrow considers following her, but decides against it. As much as he’d like to get away from his classmates, he has a feeling that Raven won’t take too kindly to his presence.

Ugh. _Siblings._

-

Princess Uma raises her only free hand to allow a bird to perch on her fingers as she explains, “Some of these animals might have names already, but otherwise, it’ll be up to you to name them during the Sidekick Challenge tomorrow.” She’s forced to release the bird when a winged cat jumps up, its claws catching her sleeve.

“Anyway, you can take this time to get to know some of these animals,” Uma giggles, trying to direct the animals clinging to her to head towards the students.

As the sidekicks approach their group, Summer leans over to them and whispers, “So, which one do you guys want?”

“No idea,” Robyn shrugs.

“Seriously?” Tai turns to her. “You don’t even want the fire-breathing chicken?”

“Definitely not.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only one in the entire class that wants the chicken,” Summer sighs, petting the cat that comes over to greet her. “Look at that thing! It’ll burn down the school if you’re not careful.”

Tai ignores her, still staring at the chicken as it sets a lone flower on fire. “Do you think you can make cookies with chicken fire?”

“Of course I can,” Summer scoffs. “Who do you think I am?”

“I see your point.”

While Tai and Summer discuss the logistics of baking cookies with chicken fire, Robyn slides over to Clover, the grin on her face telling him everything he needs to know before she says it.

“Thinking about Q—” She breaks off when she notices Willow nearby. “Shoot. I hope she didn’t hear.”

“Thinking about Fiona?” Clover replies dryly, silently thanking Willow for her interruption.

“Who can blame me?” Robyn shrugs. “And is that a yes?”

“No.”

“Really? Even after he kissed you?”

Summer pauses mid-sentence in her lengthy explanation of her cookie-baking skills. She spins around so fast that Clover gets dizzy just watching her and asks, “After he did _what?_ ”

“I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t mention that to them,” Clover groans.

“I didn’t mention it to them, they just happened to hear me,” Robyn smirks.

Summer meets Clover’s eyes, crossing her arms. “Explain. _Now._ ”

Clover lets out a long sigh. “I’ll have you know this is a betrayal of the highest order.”

“Always so dramatic,” Robyn teases. “But if you really don’t want to tell them, I can.”

“I hate you.”

“You could never. Anyway, Qrow—”

This time, it’s Glynda that forces Robyn to stop. The blonde-haired Ever frowns slightly, glancing to Willow. Robyn doesn’t miss the odd looks Willow and Glynda are shooting her, so she reluctantly goes silent.

“Tell us later,” Tai says after he follows Robyn’s gaze. “Maybe during dinner?”

...He is not looking forward to dinner at all.

-

Clover _could_ lift his face out of his pillow, but considering how red his face probably is, it’s better not to. It’s been a few hours since dinner ended, but he can still hear Robyn telling the story of their vacation to Tai and Summer.

“Should I come back another time?”

The voice— hushed but familiar, with the slightest touch of playfulness— has Clover jolting upright, his eyes scanning the room. “Qrow?”

“Hey.” One second, there’s no one else in the room besides him and James, and the next, Qrow appears in the window. One leg dangles off the edge of the windowsill, while the other is bent to support the arm on top of it. “Miss me?”

“Is there any particular reason you’re posing in my window in the middle of the night?”

“I wanted to see you,” Qrow shrugs. “Besides, where else would I be posing?”

Clover sighs. “How did you even get up here?”

“I’m good at climbing things.”

“...You _climbed_ up here?”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Qrow snorts. “It’s not as hard as it looks.”

Clover can only shake his head. Honor Tower isn’t exactly short, after all. “Was there something that you needed to tell me?”

“Kind of, but not here. I don’t want to wake up James. Can we go to the library?”

Nodding, Clover starts heading to the door. 

“Shirt,” Qrow coughs.

“...Right.”

Once they make it to the library, Qrow turns to him and says, “Raven’s acting… odd. She’s never been so cold around me before, her eyes are redder than ever, and she’s obsessed with that damn necklace of hers. I don’t even know why— my dad gave it to her, but I think Mother’s the one that did something to make her act like this. But Raven won’t talk to me, much less tell me what’s going on.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“I don’t know,” Qrow confesses. “I’m not sure if she would do something to Raven as bad as...” He trails off.

“As bad as what?”

Qrow takes a deep breath. “Remember when I said that the Doom Room was nothing compared to what Raven would do to you? The Doom Room might be painful, sure, but they have to keep you in good enough shape to go to class the next day. My mother taught us how to kill someone as slowly and painfully as possible, and eventually, she decided we were ready to practice on people.

“It was just a few months before Raven and I left to come here. Mother brought back a young girl, maybe seven years old. She’d been separated from her family, and she was shaking so hard I could see it from across the room. I hadn’t known that we would be practicing on a person. Neither of us had.

“My father tried to stop her, but she gave him one look and he just fell silent. She has that effect, and he’s too tired to fight her anymore. He still convinced her to hold off for just one day, but I knew he couldn’t do anything else to stop her.

“They put me in charge of feeding her, and when I went down there… All it took was one look at her, cold and bloody, and I knew I couldn’t let this happen. So when everyone was asleep, I snuck down and let her out. Her parents were out looking for her, so it wasn’t hard to get her back to them. I found out her name was Amber.

“When I got home, Mother was waiting for me. She didn’t say anything, just grabbed my arm and dragged me to Amber’s cell. She locked me in there and left. I didn’t sleep the entire night, and when day came, I found out what my punishment was. Instead of practicing on Amber, Raven was going to practice on me. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, getting cut apart by my own sister. Obviously, it would have been so much worse for Amber. Mother didn’t have a reason to keep her alive, and besides, after sixteen years of living with a mother that specializes in causing pain, you get used to it.”

Clover waits in silence for Qrow to continue before he realizes that’s it. “I’m… I’m sorry,” he says quietly, watching Qrow carefully for his reaction.

Qrow just gives him a helpless shrug. “You can’t change the past. I’ll be fine— it’s not like I’m going to have to live with her for much longer.”

“Still—” Clover stops when he sees the look Qrow gives him. It’s not hostile by any means, but the message is clear. _I don’t want to talk about it._ “Okay. I’ll ask Robyn to help me practice in Weapons Training. Is there anything else?”

Shaking his head, Qrow pulls his cloak over his shoulders. “I’ll see you soon.”

With a whispered incantation, he’s gone, the only sign of his presence the sound of his boots on the floor. Clover waves to the empty air, and a pale hand appears to wave back. Once he’s sure Qrow’s gone, he returns to his room.

At first, he can’t relax enough to drift off, but eventually, his eyelids start to grow heavy. Before he can fall asleep, a wolf howls somewhere across the bay.

Opening one eye, Clover frowns and does his best to ignore it. He starts relaxing again, about to actually sleep—

The howling grows louder as more wolves join in, snapping Clover back to reality. The sound doesn’t stop for a good twenty seconds, and Clover groans. This is going to be a long night.

-

Qrow hears a wolf howl far too close for comfort and picks up the pace, hurrying around a corner and down a dark hallway. Somewhere ahead of him, claws scrape the ground, and Qrow freezes until the pawsteps move in the other direction.

_What I wouldn’t give to have that Enfield with me right now,_ he thinks as he finds the main hall.

As he makes his way to the Mischief staircase, he misses the shadowy figure also crossing the hall until he’s right in front of them. Qrow walks straight into the figure, letting out an undignified squawk as he falls backward and hits the ground.

A small fireball appears in the air, casting its orange glow on Raven’s hand and face. Her eyes go wide with surprise and anger, along with a strange gleam that he can’t decipher. “ _Qrow?_ What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he mutters as he stands up, wincing. Evidently, his pride wasn’t the only thing bruised in that fall.

Raven rolls her eyes and lets the flame grow until it lights up the entire area. She points to her hair and clothes, dripping wet and practically plastered to her body. “Does that answer your question?”

“...No?”

Letting out a sigh so loud that he can hear it echo, Raven says, “I was in Good.”

Qrow feels his heart skip a beat. Could Raven have seen him on his way to visit Clover? He wasn’t exactly discreet while climbing Honor Tower, after all. “How? Isn’t there a barrier?”

“I fell off Ozpin’s roof,” Raven shrugs. “Enough about me, though. Why are _you_ here?”

“I was visiting Clover.”

“You were _what?_ ”

“Kidding, kidding,” Qrow laughs, praying it doesn’t sound forced. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Raven opens her mouth to speak, but before she can get so much as a word out, a wolf steps into the flame’s light and howls. More wolves join the howl as they stalk down all three staircases and step out from doorways all around the hall. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” the first wolf growls. It doesn’t wait for their reply as it turns to the others. “Take them to the Doom Room.”

Qrow barely has time to send Raven a panicked glance before cold iron clamps around his neck and he feels a sharp tug that almost sends him tumbling to the ground again. Raven returns his look as a wolf pulls at her own iron collar, forcing her to take a step back.

The glare that the black wolf dragging him tells him everything he needs to know. Struggling is only going to get him in bigger trouble. Reluctantly, he lets the wolf drag him down the halls and to the Doom Room.

After what seems like an eternity, the wolves finally slow down to pull them down a narrow path on the side of a sewer. Qrow gags as he follows the wolf dragging him— the smell of Evil’s sewers are punishment enough.

One wolf walks ahead of them and disappears through a door at the end of the path. Shortly after, a roar echoes through the tunnel, and the wolf scampers back out with its tail between its legs. 

“You’re in luck,” it says once it composes itself. “The Man-Wolf’s busy with your classmate. Go back to your rooms.”

The wolves unlock their collars, and Qrow massages his neck, feeling the imprint where the collar was. Raven does the same as she turns and starts stalking back the way they came.

When Qrow’s sure that they’ve really escaped unscathed, the wolf adds, “You’ll get your punishment tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Qrow,” Raven snaps when he catches up to her. 

“This is your fault,” he protests. “You’re the one who started screaming.”

Raven growls, her hands balling into fists. “So? You’re the one who always brings trouble straight to us. And now, thanks to you, we’re getting punished on the first day of the Sidekick Challenge. Think about that, will you?”

She stomps off without another word. As much as he’d like to not think about it just to spite her, he knows she has a point. First impressions are everything, after all, and there’s a good chance they’ll both fail miserably if they’re weak and bloody. Of _course_ the first time he got caught would be the day before the Sidekick Challenge. 

Just his luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey im kind of getting my life together  
> \- I KIND OF learned the year's worth of Chinese I needed to learn (I should really get on that.......)  
> \- I KIND OF actually scraped together a plot for this thing (thanks, past me, who made like 8 different plot documents)  
> \- I KIND OF got a pfp (by which I meant I mentioned that I didn't have one to my friend, she said "hold my milk" and sent me something. i havent done colors yet but I should finally have a pfp soon >:) hehehehhe)


	22. Sidekick Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I bet you weren't expecting tHIS *throws out next chapter like 5 days later instead of a month*  
> anyway uh. everyone gets pets. gay shit. sibling issues. idk if theres anything else really
> 
> for those of you who feared the twins' punishment   
> don't  
> because the only thing it's gonna be is, in fact, pretty

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and Tyrian is cackling right in Qrow’s ear. 

Qrow’s eyes snap open, and he shoots Tyrian a harsh glare. Tyrian doesn’t even blink as he stands up. “Did someone forget to set their spindle early?”

Tyrian’s always annoying, but he’s even more annoying when he’s right. Qrow groans when he sees the spindle resting on his nightstand, still set to eight hours of sleep. That’s… not ideal. There’s supposed to be a morning announcement, after all.

“Shut up,” Qrow snaps, even if he knows Tyrian is right. The only thing more annoying than Tyrian when he knows he’s right is Tyrian when someone _admits_ he’s right.

“It’s a shame, really,” Tyrian says, not even considering shutting up. “You’re going to need all the time you can get to get dressed.”

“What?” Qrow mutters as he sits up.

In response, Hazel hands him a blue bundle. “A wolf dropped this off. Said it was from the Man-Wolf.”

“You’d better get started,” Tyrian giggles. Before Qrow can glare at him again, he and Hazel disappear out the door.

Qrow takes a closer look at the bundle in his hands. He recognizes the shade of blue first, followed by the golden detailing when he flips it over. Shaking it, he has to lean down to retrieve the cream-colored pants, shining black boots, pale green vest, white shirt and gloves. When he sees the belt, it hits him. That’s an Everboy uniform.

Oh, shit.

Sure enough, when he checks his handbook, he finds “forced wearing of an Ever’s uniform for a full day of Evil classes” at the very bottom of the list. Perfect. The first day of the Sidekick Challenge, and he’s _already_ at a disadvantage.

It takes him at least ten minutes to button the several layers of the uniform (how Clover manages to do it every day is beyond him) and leave his room. Luckily, the halls are empty at that point, so there’s no one to stare at him yet.

As he steps to the bottom of the staircase, he sees Raven hiding in the shadows of her own staircase. Her arms are bare, and those definitely aren’t boots on her feet.

Qrow can’t suppress his snort when she steps out of the shadows, revealing her frilly Evergirl uniform. The only remnant of her regular attire is her golden necklace, which fits in rather well with the gold accents.

“I want you to know that I hate you,” Raven hisses before she spins, stumbling in her pink heels, and stalks off to breakfast.

“Love you too,” he sighs, taking a few seconds to brace himself before he walks into the dining hall.

His hesitation turns out to be a good idea, considering how the school’s attention is mostly on Raven. Qrow does his best to ignore the laughter, ducking his head to hide his embarrassment from his classmates. Raven, on the other hand, stands tall and tries to glare at them. Normally, one hostile look from her would send students scrambling away, but today, it just makes them laugh harder.

Raven sits across from him, sliding him a plate of burnt toast and scrambled Stymph eggs. She doesn’t say a word to him, keeping her gaze on her plate. He’s surprised her plate isn’t cracking under the force of her glare.

Although the laughter eventually dies down, Qrow can still feel the stares of the Nevers on his back. And really, who can blame them? He looks ridiculous all the way down to his tie with a golden Q. He tries to focus on anything else to get the red in his cheeks to die down, but he loses his train of thought somewhere around _did they have to have a tie made specifically for me?_

Breakfast ends much earlier than usual, forcing Qrow to throw out half of his toast. He follows just behind Raven as the teachers lead them to the Theater of Tales. Any laughter from the Nevers is lost in the sound of all of them gagging as they enter the School for Good.

Qrow takes his seat next to Raven in the back, which, after two seconds, he realizes is a mistake. His current position gives him a perfect view of all of the Evers turning to stare at them.

He catches Clover’s eye and cringes, ducking his head down so far he almost hits his head on the bench in front of him. Raven elbows him, and he quickly sits up straight. Gods, how long are these people going to stare?

They’re saved by Castor, who silences the entire school rather effectively by barking, “SHUT UP!”

Instantly, every Ever and Never turns to the stage, and although they’re still not quiet, their whispers aren’t about Qrow and Raven’s uniforms anymore. No, there’s something far more interesting for them to be focusing on.

Pollux and Princess Uma get the Evers to line up, handing out sidekicks as fast as they can. Meanwhile, the Nevers slowly get into the most disorganized line Qrow has ever seen. It’s not all bad, though. If there’s no real line, no one can complain when he cuts.

The two groups start moving quickly up to the stage and back down, each student leaving with a new sidekick. Summer hugs her bunny close, holding it out of the way while Tai struggles to control his chicken.

The crog that managed to scratch each and every one of his classmates goes to Eve, who accepts it with no emotion as usual. As they leave the stage, the crog snaps at her leg. Faster than Qrow can blink, Eve turns to it, and the crog stiffens, its jaws stopping inches from her ankle. Silently, Eve continues walking, letting the crog unfreeze a few seconds later.

Before he knows it, Qrow finds himself at the front of the line. Across from him, Clover is mercifully too focused on the panting dog in front of him to stare at Qrow’s uniform.

“HERE,” Castor growls, pushing the Enfield to Qrow.

_Lucky me,_ Qrow thinks, glancing at Clover one last time before he leads the Enfield off the stage.

-

Ciara leaps up to catch a stray butterfly from the Good side of the Clearing, letting out a small squeak of excitement. She misses it by a hair and jumps again as it flies away, much to Qrow’s amusement.

Sure, this day didn’t start how he expected it to, but seeing his sidekick chasing after a butterfly makes up for it. At least it would if it weren’t for Raven’s hellspawn of a dog.

Right on cue, Maeryn lunges for his leg, forcing him to scramble backwards. He glares at the huge dog, hoping that she knows that he hates her from her white toes to her red ears. 

“Maeryn,” Raven shouts as she hurries towards them. Her sidekick turns away from Qrow with a snort and returns to Raven’s side.

Unfortunately, Ciara chooses that exact moment to pounce on Raven. With a quick wave of her hand, Raven sends Ciara straight through a portal that tosses her onto Qrow’s lap.

Qrow almost doesn’t react in time, but he manages to grab his Enfield to keep her away from Raven and Maeryn. “Sorry,” he calls to his sister.

“It’s fine,” Raven sighs, her expression slowly becoming more thoughtful. “You know, sidekicks don’t usually fight unless… never mind.”

Eyes narrowing, Qrow opens his mouth to ask Raven to just tell him what it is. Ciara proves to be a master of bad timing when she spins and starts charging for the Good side.

Scrambling to his feet, Qrow chases after her, barely aware of the Evers staring at his uniform. Ciara is still faster, and she leaps onto the back of Clover’s sidekick before he can even cross over.

By the time Qrow makes it over the border, Ciara and the dog are practically play-fighting, taking turns to nip at each other. Clover watches them with a small smirk on his face, shaking his head ever so slightly.

“Qrow?” Clover finally looks up, his eyes falling on his uniform. “What… what are you wearing? Or, well, I know what you’re wearing, but _why?_ ”

“I got caught sneaking back to Evil, and this is my punishment,” Qrow explains under his breath, resisting the urge to hang his head.

“Oh.”

“It’s better than the Doom Room.”

Clover snorts, glancing at Raven across the Clearing. “I think your sister would prefer the Doom Room.” He looks back to Qrow, eyes roving over the uniform until he has to cover his mouth to hide his grin.

“Yeah, I know, I look ridiculous,” Qrow sighs, and this time, he does hang his head.

“No, actually, you look…” Clover trails off, rubbing the back of his neck. “...You look good,” he finally says, looking away. He can’t meet Qrow’s eyes for several seconds

Qrow swears his brain actually short-circuits. “I… what?”

“HE THINKS YOUR ASS LOOKS GOOD IN YOUR UNIFORM,” Robyn shouts, dissolving into laughter so loud that she falls backward into Fiona.

“ROBYN NO,” Clover screams back.

“ROBYN YES,” Robyn replies, her voice slightly muffled from her winged cat choosing that moment to lay on her face.

Shaking his head, Clover turns back to Qrow. “Sorry about that. Robyn’s been acting like that since… well, you know.”

“Yeah,” Qrow coughs. “New Year’s Eve.”

“Right. That,” Clover says just as awkwardly. He pauses for a few long seconds before asking, “What’s your sidekick’s name?”

“Ciara. Yours?”

“Lucky,” Clover sighs, putting a hand up to stop Qrow from talking. “I know you’re not going to believe me, but I didn’t even name him.”

“What about the rest of them?” Qrow asks, gesturing to Clover’s friends. 

“Summer’s bunny is Taffy, Tai’s chicken is Jeff, Robyn’s cat is Arowen, and Fiona’s ram is Rael,” Clover says, pointing to each of them. 

As Qrow watches, Jeff squawks, and a small plume of fire shoots from his beak. Rael backs up immediately, trying to keep his golden coat from getting singed.

“That’s better than I could do,” Qrow laughs when the chicken lets out another stream of flames.

Clover groans. “You have no idea how many close calls I’ve had with that chicken already. I have no idea how Tai manages him.”

“That makes two of us.” Qrow glances back to his side, finding Raven’s gaze on him. “I should go. I’ll try to talk to you tomorrow if I can.”

As he and Ciara return to Evil, Raven and Maeryn staring them down, Qrow swears he can hear Maeryn growling. It’s even louder than when he was close to it, strangely. At this distance, he shouldn’t be able to hear it at all.

Maeryn takes a step forward. Raven holds out a warning hand, finally dropping her gaze from Qrow. Something about the look in her eyes reminds Qrow of her words earlier.

_You know, sidekicks don’t usually fight unless… never mind._

She knows something important for sure. There’s no doubt about it. As for what it is that she knows, Qrow doesn’t have a clue. There’s plenty of rules and stories about sidekicks, after all.

Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad, can it?

-

It can definitely be that bad.

Before the week is over, Qrow and Raven both drop down the rankings for the first time that year. Although they blame it on the uniforms throwing them off during classes, they both know it’s because Ciara and Maeryn don’t stop fighting whenever they’re in the same room. And considering that they share every class, it’s no surprise that Raven gets Maeryn a leash on day two.

Going from a top Never to a top laughingstock is a strange transition, but Qrow doesn’t have much choice in the matter. No wolf comes to collect the uniform, so Qrow tosses it in the back of his closet and prays that he never has to come out of the closet with that on ever again.

Unsurprisingly, his biggest issue is Raven. When she finds out that Cinder’s in the top spot, even if it’s only by a few points, Raven almost murders her right then and there.

“QROW,” she screams across the dining hall at dinner that night. “THE RANKINGS.”

He knows what she’s talking about and exactly how she’ll react, so he waits until he makes it over to her table to shrug. “You can’t always be in first place, Rae.”

“I would be if _someone_ hadn’t gotten us caught.”

“For the last time, that was _not_ my fault.”

“Qrow, this is serious! Do you know who’s in the top spot now? Cinder is! How did Cinder Fall get the top spot of Evil? All she can do is monologue, monologue— are you even listening?”

Qrow checks his nails. “Maybe.”

Raven groans, dropping her head into her arms. “If I’m not back in first place by the end of the week, I’m just gonna stab her. Any objections?”

“Good luck with that,” Qrow snorts. “Do you know how much glass she carries around? She’ll probably turn you into scrap meat for the Pizzeria of Punishment.”

“I can take her,” Raven says, waving a hand. “You saw what happened last time we fought.”

Qrow winces, remembering Cinder’s screams when Raven drove the dagger into her arm. “Yeah. I’d prefer you not do that again.”

“I do what I want.”

“Does that mean that you’re not going to tell me what happened while I was gone?”

Raven stiffens, eyes narrowing. “Why do you keep asking about that?”

“Forget I said anything,” Qrow says hastily, noticing the suspicion in her eyes.

“Sure,” Raven agrees after a slight pause. She slides Maeryn the rest of her mystery meat and stands up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Qrow doesn’t bother to watch her go, or at least he doesn’t until he hears Maeryn growling again. For the first time, it’s not directed at him— it’s directed at Cinder.

Once Maeryn stalks off, leaving Qrow to wonder what she’s up to, he lets Ciara eat the rest of his dinner. The meat is black and tastes like coal almost all the way to its core, but Ciara snaps it up in one or two bites.

Qrow and Ciara leave the dining hall just in time to see Raven and Cinder turn down separate hallways. Maeryn follows Cinder so silently that she and the cupid hovering over her don’t even notice.

“What do you think Maeryn’s doing?” Qrow mutters to Ciara.

Ciara gives him a look that might be _I can’t talk_ or just _I want more food._ Knowing her, probably the latter.

Sighing, Qrow pats her head and starts walking again. “I don’t have any food, Ciara.”

Giving him a halfhearted glare, Ciara turns her attention back to Maeryn. Qrow follows suit, watching the white dog until it goes all the way around the corner. What could she be up to?

Cinder’s cupid is missing by the end of the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i sat on this for so long  
> legit had to scream to my best friend about what was gonna happen because.  
> no actually you look... you look good  
> made us both SCREECH  
> im sorry  
> idk wtf im talking about  
> anyway school's starting and my productivity (fanfic wise anyway) has increased because I'm willing to do whatever it takes to avoid homework  
> thanks for reading!


	23. Frequently Asked Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I promise this is an actual chapter and not faqs

Raven goes back to ignoring Qrow once the Sidekick Challenge is over, even if she occasionally has to pull Maeryn away from him. He doesn’t mind, mostly because Ciara is much easier to manage when Maeryn’s not around.

Without someone to talk to, classes become even more boring than they already were. Ciara nudging his leg is the only thing keeping him awake during Lady Lesso’s lectures. Although most of the sidekicks had returned to their homes, Ciara and Maeryn and a few others had gotten to stay with their Nevers. Qrow’s grateful for the company. Even if she can’t talk, it’s better than talking to Tyrian.

Ciara nudges him again, the cold of her wet nose shocking him back to attention. Her timing seems to have improved considerably since the beginning of the challenge, which Qrow appreciates. As he pretends to be taking notes, Lady Lesso passes by, her eyes narrowing for a moment.

“I’m sure you all remember Murder Practice from last year,” she says once she passes. “Hopefully your attempts are less pathetic this time.” With a wave of her hand, Lady Lesso conjures the ghostly image of a cottage and a white-haired princess that could be Willow’s twin. “Whoever kills her the cruelest way wins.”

Last time they did this exercise, the princess had been behind a locked door and suspicious of strangers. Qrow doubts that it’s anything different this time. 

Adam goes first, summoning a sword carved from the classroom’s ice to slash a bloody line down his princess. Cinder shoots her red-haired princess with the bow once belonging to her missing cupid. The second Eve’s princess opens her door, she gasps and collapses to the ground.

Up next is Raven, who finds herself confronting a princess that looks just like Summer. She pulls her hand away from the floor to reveal blue fingertips, pointing her left pinkie at the princess. In a puff of snow, a small snowman appears where the princess once was.

Lady Lesso yawns until the snowman starts melting. Even from where he stands a few feet away, Qrow can feel the air warming. The ice of the classroom doesn’t melt, but it only takes a few seconds for the snowman to turn into a puddle. A few more, and the puddle completely evaporates.

Qrow only realizes it’s his turn when Lady Lesso clears her throat for the third time. “Oh. Sorry.”

Glancing around the room, Qrow tries to find something he can use. As he knocks on the door, he notices the giant icicle hanging right over them. With a little bit of bad luck, he might be able to get it to fall.

“May I help you?” The princess asks, and only then does he realize that she looks like Robyn. He hesitates for a fraction of a second, but the pause almost costs him the challenge. 

Focusing his talent on the ceiling, Qrow prays that he doesn’t lose control. Although a few of the smaller icicles in the back of the classroom almost impale Eve, he manages to get the large icicle to come crashing down right on the princess’s head.

Qrow turns away at the last second, but from the princess’s horrified shriek, he knows he succeeded. He can’t suppress a shiver, and while anyone watching him might chalk it up to the freezing classroom, he knows better than that.

_That sounded like Amber._

He shakes his head, doing his best to ignore the thought, but it’s too late. The rest of the icicles tremble, and before he can rein his talent back in, they start snapping off.

Lady Lesso and half the students duck under their desks, while Cinder, Raven and a few others use their talents to deflect the falling icicles. Eve catches most of the icicles before they can reach their heads with her talent, carefully lowering them to the ground.

Slowly, twenty pairs of accusing eyes turn to him.

“I expected better from you,” Lady Lesso sighs, shooing him away so Hazel can take his turn.

Qrow barely suppresses the urge to roll his eyes as he returns to his seat. Without much else to affect, his talent finally dies down.

Once the other villains take their turns, Lady Lesso stops conjuring princesses and returns to the front of the class. “Can anyone tell me what mistake most of you made with your traps?”

Raven raises her hand. No one else does, so Lady Lesso points to her. “They weren’t permanent.”

The rest of the class groans, shakes their heads or snorts. “What part about an arrow to the chest isn’t _permanent?_ ” Cinder snarls.

Lady Lesso gestures for Raven to explain.

“Evers, while mostly dumb and useless, have something we don’t. True love’s kiss is more powerful than most things we can come up with. It's even been known to bring someone back from the dead. My trap worked because, well… you can’t kiss gas.”

“Exactly,” says Lady Lesso. She snaps her fingers, numbers appearing over their heads.

Qrow gets a 3, but he couldn’t care less. Especially not when Cinder isn’t in the top two, and Raven…

Raven smirks at the fiery 1 over her head, shooting Cinder a smug look. 

“Welcome back to first place,” Lady Lesso purrs before she dismisses the class.

As they pick up their things, Raven elbows Qrow. “How much time do we have before History of Villainy?”

“Passing period is ten minutes,” he replies.

“Great. Come with me.”

To his surprise, Raven doesn’t lead him out of the classroom. Instead, she marches straight up to Lady Lesso, Maeryn on her heels. “Can we speak to you for a moment?”

Qrow misses Lady Lesso’s response as he picks Ciara up, not wanting to deal with yet another fight between their sidekicks. When he sees that Raven hasn’t left, he stands next to her and waits for her to talk.

“Ever since the Trial by Tale, we’ve been having… odd dreams,” Raven begins, fidgeting with her necklace chain. “We both tasted blood.”

“Both of you had dreams after the Trial?” Lady Lesso asks, leaning forward. “Tell me, did something happen while you were in the Blue Forest? A betrayal, maybe?”

“We betrayed Clover and Robyn, and then some idiot decided to protect Clover,” Raven replies. “So that could count as him betraying me.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Qrow mutters.

Lady Lesso sighs. “There’s no way to tell who your Nemesis is for sure until you see their face in your dreams, unfortunately. All you can do is hope that… well, it’s unlikely, but hopefully you’re not each other’s Nemeses. Every time someone ends up with their sibling as their Nemesis, it gets… ugly.”

“I can imagine,” Raven says dryly. 

“Is there anything else?”

“Yeah, uh…” Qrow says quickly, “...My dreams have been really _weird_ for Nemesis Dreams. They start out happy, and sometimes I hear laughter or voices. They always get darker before the dream ends, though.”

“That’s odd,” Lady Lesso murmurs. “Nemesis Dreams aren’t supposed to be happy at all. My guess is that you’re just farther away from finding your Nemesis than Raven is.”

At the mention of Raven’s name, Ciara wiggles in Qrow’s arms, snapping at his sister’s hand. Raven curses and jerks her hand away, restraining Maeryn before she can attack.

Lady Lesso watches their sidekicks growl at each other with a frown. “Have your sidekicks always fought?”

“Yes,” Raven sighs. “It’s been a long week.”

“You would think they… never mind. Just remember this— sometimes our sidekicks know us better than we know ourselves.”

Qrow and Raven shoot each other concerned glances at the same time, then quickly avert their eyes. 

Raven is the first to step back. “We should get going,” she says stiffly.

Nodding, Lady Lesso lets them leave. Qrow doesn’t look back as he steps into the hall, but he can feel her stare burning into his back.

“What do you think she means?” He asks Raven, but his sister’s already hurrying down the hallway. “...Ciara? Any ideas?”

Ciara just blinks at him as if to remind him that she can’t talk.

“Yeah, me neither.”

-

Robyn kneels in front of Fiona, laying down her quill in place of a sword. “Fiona of Avalon Towers, will you be my princess for the Ball?”

“I’m surprised you actually remembered where I’m from,” Fiona teases.

“Just answer the question,” Robyn pleads.

Fiona waves her off. “I have to try to imagine who’s actually asking me, remember?” Ignoring Robyn’s wink, she closes her eyes and raises her hand.

Robyn waits in anticipation as a smile slowly spreads across Fiona’s face. Finally, Fiona opens her eyes and puts her hand in Robyn’s. “Yes!” Only then does she return the wink.

“Excellent job, Fiona,” Professor Anemone chirps as she breezes by. “Has everyone taken their turn?”

When everyone nods, Professor Anemone dismisses them. Summer comes bouncing up to Fiona and Robyn immediately, a light flush on her cheeks.

“Did you see—” Robyn begins.

“Tai!” Summer interrupts, Taffy bouncing in time with her. “I saw Tai!” In a lower voice, she adds, “Did you see… each other?”

Fiona sends the crowded hallways a concerned glance before she gives Summer a quick nod.

“Nice,” says Summer, high-fiving them. She turns to Robyn, who looks oddly distant. “Robyn? What’s on your mind?”

Robyn turns back to them so they can see the smirk on her face. “Just wondering who Clover saw.”

-

_I would pay someone to kill me right about now,_ Clover thinks as James kneels in front of him.

James doesn’t say anything as he shuts his eyes tight, raising the ruler he’s using instead of his sword. “Glynda of Maidenvale,” he says at last. “Will you be my princess for the Ball?”

It takes Clover a minute to realize that he’s supposed to respond. “Yes,” he says with all the enthusiasm he can muster, slipping his hand into James’s.

As soon as Professor Lukas nods, they drop each other’s hands and James hands Clover the ruler. “Your turn.”

Clover kneels, holding the ruler out. He shuts his eyes and focuses on the Ball, trying to ignore the person who’s actually standing in front of him. He just needs to see his Ball date, and it’ll be fine.

He isn’t surprised when his thoughts drift to Qrow, but he does his best to stay away from the image forming in his mind. It doesn’t work as well as he’d hoped— a few seconds later, he can almost see Qrow’s face in his mind.

Despite his efforts to ignore it, the image solidifies slightly, revealing a bright smile and warm red eyes. Clover can’t help but smile in return, butterflies fluttering to life in his stomach.

James clears his throat. “Are you almost done?”

Clover frowns. He can’t exactly say Qrow’s name in front of the entire class. “Robyn of Jaunt Jolie,” he blurts, lowering the ruler. “Will you be my princess for the Ball?”

“Yes,” James sighs, putting his hand in Clover’s for a brief moment before yanking it away.

Clover stands up, giving the ruler back to James. “So… Glynda?”

James nods, a small smile coming to his face. “Robyn?”

“...Yeah.”

Clover finds his gaze turning to Tai, whose eyes are squeezed shut so tightly he looks like he’s in pain. Jacques crosses his arms as he stands in front of Tai, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Would you stop that?” Tai finally snaps. “I can’t focus.”

“It’s not that hard,” Jacques scoffs, turning away.

Tai squeezes his eyes shut even tighter, clenching his fist around his quill. “Ra— Summer of Altazarra, will you be my princess for the Ball?”

If Jacques notices Tai’s mistake, he gives no sign. “Yes,” he snaps, making no effort to put his hand in Tai’s.

“Great,” Tai mutters, dropping the quill like he’s been burned. “Thanks for the help.”

Clover makes his way over to him as Jacques stalks off. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tai says a little too quickly. “Who’re you going to the Ball with?”

“I’m not sure,” Clover admits. “I said Robyn, but I couldn’t stop picturing…” 

“Qrow?” 

“Shhhh,” Clover hisses, glancing nervously at his classmates. “I don’t need another lecture from James.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Tai snorts. He stands on his tiptoes and proclaims in a voice far lower than James’s, “NEVERS ARE BAD AND IF YOU ASK ONE OUT, I’LL STAB YOU.”

The entire class pauses and turns to them. Clover groans, slapping his forehead. “Tai, you’re a true master of subtlety.” 

“I do my best,” Tai preens, immediately losing his balance and crashing to the ground.

“That should be all for today,” Professor Lukas says after a slight hesitation. “Remember, as the Ball grows closer, you may begin to see your princess in your dreams.”

When they make it out of class, Tai whispers to him, “You definitely saw Qrow, right?” Clover only gives him a look in response, and Tai hides a grin. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“And you’re going to tell everyone else the second we see them, aren’t you?”

“You know me so well.”

-

Salem smacks her forehead so hard that she winces in pain. “The Snow Ball can’t come any faster,” she mutters, turning away from the storybook.

“There we can both agree,” says Ozpin as he appears behind her.

“What are you doing here?” Salem crosses her arms, but doesn’t bother to turn around. “It’s still my week.”

“I’m… worried,” Ozpin admits, sitting next to the Storian. “As the Ball approaches, so does the Circus, and the disasters always seem to happen on either the Circus or the Snow Ball.”

“It doesn’t help that the Snow Ball is almost guaranteed to be eventful this year,” Salem shrugs. “Two Evergirls going to the ball together? Boys from _different_ schools falling in lo—”

“They are not falling in love.”

“That’s what you always say.”

“Was I wrong last time?”

Salem pretends to consider his words. “Given how we arranged our schedules after last time so I would _not have to deal with interruptions such as this one,_ I suppose you weren’t.”

“So what makes you so sure I’m wrong now?”

“Gods, are you illiterate?” Salem groans, pointing over her shoulder to the book. “There’s at least one hundred pages of proof in there.”

“You know I can’t read the full story until the Storian finishes,” Ozpin snaps. “And even if they are falling in love, there’s also the issue of Phoebe Branwen.”

Salem sighs. “Must you constantly remind me of her existence?”

“She’s shoving herself into this fairy tale, Salem. You can’t deny it. And I’m afraid about what she’ll do to the students involved if given the chance.”

“Who can blame her? She never got her own fairy tale.” Salem shakes her head. “You’re free to address your concerns when it’s actually your week.”

“Salem, please—”

“Get out.” When Ozpin doesn’t leave immediately, Salem finally turns around. “That wasn’t a request.”

With a final, defeated sigh, Ozpin disappears, leaving Salem alone in the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you weren't expecting tHIS *throws out another chapter without disappearing for a month once more*  
> I literally sat on this for who knows how long because I couldn't think of a title and you can TELL when I don't have a title because when I finally yeet the chapter out there the title is just ????


	24. The Groom Room Cult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> clover is a reckless clown and qrow is just o///o  
> so like  
> same as always

Glynda clears her throat, gritting her teeth in irritation when only half of the assembled Evers snap to attention. She raises her hands into the air, lowering them as if she were a conductor, and the conversations start to die down.

As the room reaches complete silence, Glynda slams her hands down, shaking the table so hard that the nine other Evers jump. “I’m sure you know why we’re here today.”

“No…?” Harriet mutters.

Sighing, Glynda explains, “We’re the top ten Evers, and now we’re all guaranteed to be competing in the Circus of Talents. Willow and I decided to hold a few practices in the Groom Room to prepare for it.” She slides Willow a short list, and Willow starts passing it down to the others.

Clover reads it as quickly as he can when Summer hands it to him, recognizing it as their current rankings.

1\. Glynda of Maidenvale  
2\. Willow of Frost Plains  
3\. Clover of Jaunt Jolie  
4\. Fiona of Avalon Towers  
5\. James of Frost Plains  
6\. Taiyang of Altazarra  
7\. Harriet of Pasha Dunes  
8\. Summer of Altazarra  
9\. Robyn of Jaunt Jolie  
10\. May of Avalon Towers

As he passes it on to Robyn, Glynda continues, “We’ll only have the Groom Room for a short while, so we’d better get started. For today, I think we should start from the bottom and work our way up. May, that means you’re first.”

Sighing, May stands up, pushing her blue hair out of her eyes. She slides her chair back in, takes a deep breath, and disappears.

Clover feels his eyes widen a fraction, but Robyn and Fiona don’t even blink. As he watches, the people sitting closest to May’s now-empty chair start to disappear. James stares at his hands in horror as they fade into thin air, and Tai jumps so high that he tips over his chair and disappears completely.

May reappears along with James and Tai, letting out a slow breath. “I can’t do much more than that,” she admits.

“Well, we have two weeks to work on it,” Glynda shrugs. “Robyn?”

“What score did you get on the pop quiz?” Robyn asks.

Glynda blinks, frowning. She pushes up her glasses— when did she get glasses?— and replies, “One hundred, why?”

Robyn raises a hand, smirking as it turns red. “What did you really get?”

Hanging her head, Glynda replies, “Ninety-eight.” She pushes up her glasses again, carefully positioning her hands so she can cover her face. After a few seconds, she stops hiding her face and says, “I don’t know how you’d show that off at the Circus, though.”

“Yeah,” Robyn sighs. “If I really have to, I’ll just shoot something.”

“Anyone who’s planning on just shooting something can practice over there,” Glynda says, pointing to a section of the Groom Room that’s been cleared out and replaced with targets.

Summer and James stand up to follow Robyn while the rest of them remain seated. Glynda checks her list. “Harriet?”

Harriet’s speed is impressive, but when Tai takes a deep breath, turns away and breathes out a thick stream of fire, it leaves the rest of them all blinking in surprise.

“That’ll work,” Glynda says after a quick hesitation.

“No wonder you wanted the fire-breathing chicken,” Clover mutters.

Fiona stands up next and puts her hand on the table. A soft shimmer spreads over it, and it disappears. She waits a few seconds before she returns it to its original position.

“Does that work on living things?” Glynda asks.

“I’ve never tried,” Fiona replies. “We’ll see.”

Once Glynda finishes scribbling notes, she gestures for Clover to take his turn.

Hiding a grin, Clover pulls out his sword. “Can I borrow yours?”

Willow, Glynda, Tai and Fiona all slide him their swords. He takes a few steps back. “Have any of you juggled swords before?”

“Not that I know of,” Willow replies.

“Me neither,” Clover says, and tosses the first sword into the air.

It doesn’t take long for Clover to amplify his talent as much as he can, scrambling to catch and throw all five swords. By some miracle (or maybe just a lot of luck), Clover doesn’t get a single scratch. Struggling to focus and ignore the amazed stares of the other Evers, he tosses all the swords high into the air and makes no effort to catch them. Although the last one comes falling down startlingly close to his face, not a single sword touches Clover.

“Are you sure you’ve never juggled swords before?” Glynda asks when she stops staring. “Even with your luck, you’d think that would go a lot worse.”

Clover shrugs. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure that would work.”

“You _what?_ ” Glynda gapes at him for a few seconds before she rubs her eyes. “You know what? I can’t even be surprised anymore.”

Willow stands up, giving Clover a nod. “Impressive.” _But not as impressive as this,_ her expression says as she takes her sword back. With a swipe of her sword, she creates a glyph under her feet and a matching one eight feet in the air.

With help from the glyph under her, Willow springs onto the floating glyph. She takes a deep breath, holding her sword out, and summons a large glyph over the table.

A large white snake with razor-sharp scales slides out of it, hissing as it floats over the Evers’ heads. Willow moves her hand ever so slightly in time with its movements, guiding it in a full circle around the Evers.

“That’s the spirick you fought in the Trial, isn’t it?” Glynda asks, staring at the snake over her glasses. 

Willow nods, but her attention is mostly on the spirick as she guides it back to the glyph it came from. Slowly, the spirick dissolves into thin air.

The glyph under her feet dissolves, sending Willow tumbling through the air towards a hard collision with the table. She summons a glyph to break her fall, but it dissolves when she hits it.

Glynda moves faster than she should be able to, leaping to her feet and lunging forward just in time to catch her best friend. The impact nearly sends both of them to the ground, but Glynda manages to stay standing.

“Thanks,” Willow pants, using a chair to help pull herself out of Glynda’s arms. “I guess I still have some work to do.”

“It’ll get better by the Circus,” Glynda shrugs, not bothering to sit down. “You’ll win your bet for sure.”

“Bet?” Fiona asks.

Willow sighs, hanging her head. “I made a bet with Jacques. I didn’t want to, but… anyway, that’s not important. All I have to do is win my round at the Circus, and Jacques won’t ask me to the Snow Ball. But if I fail, I have to say yes.”

Fiona cringes until she looks like she’s in pain. “Ew.”

“Agreed,” Glynda sighs.

Clover nods along with the rest of the Evers, trying not to make a face. Poor Willow.

“Enough about that,” says Willow. She turns to Glynda. “Are you going to go?”

Glynda grins. “You might want to hold on.”

Without giving them any more of an explanation or even time to prepare, Glynda waves her hand. The chairs start to float, spinning around the room. Clover holds onto his chair for dear life, but he manages to relax enough to high-five Robyn when he floats by.

“If you’re not holding on already, you should probably start now,” Willow yells to them as the chairs start flipping.

Glynda directs the chairs back to their original positions with no sign of effort, only concentration. The chairs land softly on the ground, and only then does Glynda stop using her talent. 

“Nice,” Clover says once he’s back on solid ground.

“Thanks,” Glynda replies. “Anyway, I think it’ll be enough for the Circus, given a little more time to practice. We can meet up again in a few days and start training then.”

“Oh, sh— I mean, oh dear. We have about thirty seconds before class,” Willow says when she checks the time.

Glynda stiffens. “ _What?_ ”

She’s out the door before Clover can even blink, the click-clack of her heels slowly fading out of earshot. 

Willow gives them all an apologetic grin before she follows Glynda out of the Groom Room, waving a goodbye over her shoulder. Clover barely catches her parting words as she sprints down the hall.

“See you in class!”

-

Three wolves pad along their route, sniffing the air as they go. They pick up on the unmistakable stink of an Evil student and pause in unison, turning their heads in hopes of being the first to spot whoever is out past curfew.

Qrow presses himself to a wall, hardly daring to breathe. He lowers his hood so that the invisibility lifts from his face, jerking his head towards the wolves. Ciara gives him a quick nod as he pulls his hood back on, slinking around the corner.

Surprised growls fill the air as the wolves leap back from Ciara, disgust all over their muzzles. Staying close to Ciara, Qrow hurries after her, the wolves parting in an attempt to stay away from the winged fox.

One problem down, one more to go.

Halfway across the bridge, as expected, Ever Qrow appears from the mist.

“You again,” he sighs, crossing his arms. “Back to see your prince?”

“He’s not my _prince_ ,” Qrow scowls.

Ever Qrow gives him a look that he knows means _yeah, as if_. Qrow returns it. They stare each other down for a few seconds before Ever Qrow gives up. “Fine, fine. If you say so.”

“I _do_ —you know what? Forget about this. You know the drill. Let me through.”

“Because you’re _defending someone you love?_ ” Ever Qrow says in a horrible imitation of Qrow’s voice (which sounds even more weird, considering that if he just talked normally they’d sound exactly the same.)

Qrow spreads his hands. “Where’s the lie?”

Raising an incredulous eyebrow, Ever Qrow asks, “You lo—gods. This is gonna end in disaster and you know it.”

Ignoring his clone’s words, Qrow repeats, “Let me through.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” says Ever Qrow, vanishing back into the mist.

Rolling his eyes, Qrow checks his sword and continues forward.

Ciara follows him through the halls until they reach Honor 38, stretching a paw out to scratch the door before he can knock. “You’re gonna damage the doors,” he hisses to her.

_Oh nooooooo,_ she seems to say back, giving him the most sarcastic glare a fox can give.

_Of all the sidekicks I could have gotten, I got the one with an attitude,_ he thinks, but his heart isn’t in it.

The door opens just a crack, and Clover peeks out. Below him, Lucky sticks his snout through the opening, sniffing at Ciara. Clover opens the door just a fraction more (Qrow is only half happy to find that he’s actually wearing a shirt this time) and lets Lucky slip through.

While Lucky and Ciara sniff each other, tails wagging, Clover steps into the hall, carefully shutting the door behind him. “Qrow?” He whispers.

Qrow gives him a confused glance before he remembers his cloak. He mutters the incantation, suddenly becoming visible again.

Clover doesn’t blink. “Library?”

“Actually,” Qrow coughs. “I need to find somewhere to hide a giant sword, preferably close to wherever the Snow Ball is.”

He can see the gears turning in Clover’s head until his friend nods. “I have a few ideas.”

They find themselves at an old dresser, clearly not meant for much in the way of storage. It’s locked, but Clover gives the biggest cabinet a good kick, and it swings open.

“How did you figure that one out?” Qrow asks as he slides Harbinger into the cabinet, wincing at the dust. “Did you just go around kicking cabinets?”

“Robyn,” Clover shrugs, as if that explains it all. Which it does.

When they finally make it to the library, Qrow’s relieved to find that it’s still relatively brightly lit. Stumbling around in darkness isn’t exactly his favorite activity.

“So, why’d you come this time?” Clover asks. “I assume it’s not because you wanted to pose in my window again.”

“No, it’s not,” Qrow confirms. “Although posing in your windows is always a bonus.”

Clover rolls his eyes, smiling fondly as he sits down on the couch, resting his ankle on his knee. “Of course it is.”

_His smile is so cute oh my gods I think I’m dying no wait I know I’m dying would he kill me if I asked what did I do to deserve this,_ says Qrow’s brain. “Well, I just had a question,” he blurts, even though he definitely has no question and _definitely_ didn’t come here just to see that stupid, stupid smile.

“Go ahead.”

“How are you?” Qrow asks, because it’s the first thing that comes to his mind amidst all the screaming.

Clover blinks once, twice, and drops his head into his hands and groans. “Oh, gods. I’m dead.”

“Relatable,” Qrow supplies helpfully before his brain catches up to his mouth. “I mean—what’s wrong?”

“Guess,” Clover says dryly.

“You got a 20 in class. Robyn gave you the wrong jacket and now the sleeves are too tight and you can’t flex. Lucky ate your lunch.”

Clover lifts his head from his hands and gives him a look.

“It’s Raven, isn’t it,” Qrow sighs, already knowing the answer.

“Bingo.” 

“I figured,” Qrow says, sitting down next to Clover. “Wanna tell me about it?”

“I can’t do this,” Clover groans, slumping. “I was so excited to be chosen to come here against all the odds. Nervous, yes, but also excited and definitely not scared. And now I have friends to last a lifetime, and, well, you know… you.”

“Should I be offended that I don’t count as a lifelong friend?” Qrow can’t help but interrupt.

“No, you’re…” Clover waves him off with a sheepish cough. “Anyway. I don’t remember exactly what I expected coming here, but I don’t think I was expecting to have the top Never dead-set on killing me. Gods, you know her better than anyone, and you’ve seen her fight. She almost killed me in the Trial by Tale—I don’t stand a chance.”

Qrow waits for him to continue before he realizes he should probably say something. “Yeah, I know her better than anyone. Which is why I know you can and _will_ kick her ass.” He sees the doubtful look on Clover’s face and flounders for words. “Look, you might not think it was much, but in the Trial, when you fought against Raven… that was amazing.”

“Bullshit,” Clover sighs, slumping even further into his seat.

“I mean it,” Qrow insists. “No one’s been able to fight her for that long, not even me. And after that, what did you do?”

“...I fell over?”

Qrow resists the urge to slap his forehead as hard as he can. “I mean, yes, but actually no. You stood up and fought me.”

“And fell over after two hits.”

“Irrelevant. If I was actually trying to hurt you, you would have kept fighting.” Qrow grins when he remembers their vacation. “Not to mention that you’ve already proven that you can beat me.”

Clover’s expression tells Qrow that he’s not quite convinced, so Qrow continues, “Look, my point is… you’re strong, Clover. Raven thinks she’ll be able to kill you without breaking a sweat, but she’s wrong. Last time, you were tired, alone and taken by surprise. This time, we have two months’ warning, you know how to fight her, and you’re definitely not alone. You have Robyn, Fiona, Summer, Tai, and now me, and I doubt anyone in your school’s going to sit back and watch you die. What does Raven have? Nothing. Not even my help.” Qrow pauses, eyes never leaving Clover. “Good’s been winning for centuries for a reason.”

“Love,” Clover sighs.

“Exactly. And I don’t think she has a lot of that on her side, does she?” Qrow stares meaningfully at him for a few seconds before he blinks. _Don’t stare at him meaningfully in full candlelight, idiot._

“I guess you’re right,” Clover says after a short pause. “Thanks, Qrow.”

“Of course.”

Ciara rises from the floor, stands on top of Lucky and sticks her head on the chair. She licks Clover’s hand, and then turns to stare at Qrow.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” He stands up somewhat reluctantly, missing the warmth of sitting so close to Clover. “Ciara’s getting antsy—that probably means it’s time to go before someone notices I’m missing.”

“One more thing,” Clover blurts. When Qrow turns around, he says, “What do we do if we win? Is Raven just going to give up and leave us alone?”

Qrow flinches. Out of all the questions he could ask, this one is one that he doesn’t have the answer to. “I still don’t know,” he sighs. Seeing Clover’s expression, he reaches out and takes his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll figure it out, okay? Together.”

“Together,” Clover echoes, offering him a faint smile.

They say their goodbyes, and Qrow makes his way back into the hallway, invisible under his cloak. He turns around at the last moment, eyes landing on Clover, still staring after him. Qrow grins just at the sight of him, barely noticing his own smile. He itches to turn and go back to Clover, but with the way Ciara’s pacing, he doesn’t have much time.

_Maybe next time._

Without wasting any more time thinking about Clover and his ridiculously attractive smile, Qrow tears his eyes away and slips down the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all aboard the gay clown express *honks nose*
> 
> sorry i havent updated school's a bitch and so am i


	25. The Enemy of My Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uuuuh ngl i forgot what happened in this one... i just kinda wrote it and hid it in drive for two more weeks... and im not rereading it so uh. probably some gay shit? yeah sounds about right

Clover dreams of his princess.

He finds himself in the golden hall again, but everything is sharper, more prominent. The mist has faded to the corners of the room, allowing him to turn and look at his surroundings. Although he has no way of knowing if he’s right, he feels like he’s supposed to be waiting for someone.

He hears a soft hiss as mist starts to flood the room from one of the entrances. Clover turns and squints at it, trying to make out the figure approaching him.

Messy black hair blowing in the slight breeze. Eyes that gleam with love and warmth. And a smile that feels so familiar that he _swears_ he’s seen it before.

He takes the figure’s hand, and the mist clears to reveal their face. Clover can’t hold back his grin when he pulls his princess closer and leans in.

Clover wakes with a smile on his face, even if he’s slightly disappointed that the dream ended so early. He starts to sit up, reaching for his uniform—and freezes.

Oh, he definitely knows that smile.

And it doesn’t belong to a princess.

-

Robyn listens carefully to the recounting of his dream, nodding occasionally to show she’s still interested. When he finishes, she asks, “So you’re going to ask him to the Snow Ball?”

Her words make the butterflies in his stomach start flapping rapidly as a thrill goes through his chest. Clover does his best to stamp it out, but a little bit of hope remains. “What?” He splutters, keeping the smile off his face. 

“I mean, you just had a princess— _prince_ dream about him, didn’t you? Professor Anemone said something about dreams starting once we get close to the Snow Ball.” 

“I mean, I would, but—” Clover breaks off when Robyn lets out a loud squawk. “...Are you okay?”

Robyn waves a hand. “Sorry, sorry. Just excited. Go on.”

Sighing, Clover takes a second to continue. “I _want_ to ask him, but I don’t know if I’ll even be allowed.”

“Of course you’ll be allowed,” Summer replies, appearing by Clover’s right in a burst of rose petals. She hesitates when both of them give her surprised looks. “This is about Qrow, right? I forgot to ask.”

“Yes, it’s about Qrow,” Clover groans.

As expected, Tai appears at his left. “What’s this about Qrow?”

Robyn raises an eyebrow, shaking her head at the two. “Why don’t we just wait for Fiona to get here?” She suggests. “There’s no reason to have to explain this more than once.”

“Good idea,” says Clover, even if it means that it leaves Summer and Tai staring eagerly at him on either side.

It feels like it takes Fiona eons to arrive, but when she does, Summer and Tai finally sit down to await answers. Clover explains the dream to them and who he thinks is his prince before Robyn interrupts.

“And now he’s going to ask Qrow to the Snow Ball!” Robyn finishes a little too loudly for comfort.

“You don’t know that,” Clover hisses. “I might not.”

“That’s a shame,” sighs Glynda.

The entire table jumps, whirling to look at Glynda and Willow, who pause behind Clover. “What?” Willow shrugs. “She’s not wrong, is she?”

Summer’s jaw drops, and Tai gives her a light push on her chin to get her expression back to normal. “Damn,” she says after a long pause. “I have never liked you more.”

“That’s good,” Glynda says, giving them what looks like a smirk. “Considering we _might_ be looking for a new table.” She and Willow give their old table a glare, and when Clover follows Willow’s icy gaze, he finds Jacques staring back at them.

“Any enemy of Jackass is a friend of ours,” Robyn grins, holding her hand out for them to shake.

“ _Robyn_ ,” Clover mutters, elbowing his best friend. She should know better than to swear in front of the two top Evers by now.

But to his surprise, when he turns back to them, there’s no lecture waiting on Glynda’s lips. Instead, she smiles gratefully at Robyn while Willow essentially loses her mind.

He’s never seen Willow laugh so hard, not even when Glynda _accidentally_ kicked Jacques in a not-so-fortunate place. She tries to keep it to giggles, to the noises that princesses are supposed to make, but it doesn’t help. In the end, she collapses into her seat with a final wheeze, face flushed red from laughing.

(Glynda’s face is red too, but she hasn’t been laughing… just staring at Willow.)

(Clover decides not to even bother trying to figure out what’s going on.)

“Jackass,” Willow parrots when she can finally breathe. “Oh-oh my gods.”

“Accurate,” Glynda laughs. In a quieter tone, she adds, “Thanks, Robyn. She’s never laughed this hard about this whole issue.”

Robyn gives her a thumbs-up. “Hey, what are friends for?”

Summer almost gets to three seconds of waiting before clearing her throat a touch too obnoxiously. “Sooooo…. Snow Ball? Qrow?”

Raising a hand to halt Summer, Glynda says, “Wait.” She glances around, giving suspicious looks to the people sitting near them. “If word of this gets out before the Ball…” Without further explanation, she snaps her fingers, and the sound of the rambling crowd lowers to a soft murmur.

“What was that?” Fiona asks, giving the suddenly quiet people around them a strange look.

“A spell I learned in the library,” explains Glynda. “We can hear them if we really try, but it’ll make it much harder for them to hear us and therefore much harder for them to start gossiping about it. Unless May Marigold managed to sneak in, which I doubt she did.”

“Good,” says Robyn. “The less rumors we have to deal with, the better.”

Fiona leans over and whispers something in her ear. Once Robyn whispers back, she turns to Glynda and Willow and says, “Oh, and I guess we should mention this too—Robyn and I are kind of together. Well, not that officially, but—ugh, you get my point.”

Neither Glynda nor Willow shows even a hint of surprise. “We know,” says Glynda.

Robyn and Fiona both start spluttering, so Clover translates their surprised squawks into English. “You _know?”_

“Anyone with half a brain can at least make an educated guess about it,” Willow shrugs. “You two aren’t exactly discreet.”

“Discreet is not and will never be my thing,” Robyn says unapologetically. 

“I definitely knew that,” Glynda mutters.

“HEY!” Robyn shouts so loud that she can be heard outside of their sound bubble, judging by the odd looks their table gets from the people around them. “But fair.”

Fiona just shakes her head. “You’re an idiot.”

“But I’m _your_ idiot,” Robyn grins, flicking Fiona’s nose.

While Fiona squawks in rage, trying to flick her back, Tai covers his eyes and makes the loudest gagging noises he can muster. “Save it for the wedding night, you two.”

Summer punches him in the shoulder, leaving him rubbing it with a wince. “Point taken.”

Glynda turns when the bell rings, frowning. “I think that’s all the time we have. We’ll talk more tomorrow?”

“You probably need to know a little more about our mildly messy situation,” Clover replies. “And by mildly, I mean wildly. Are you free after Surviving Fairy Tales? We can meet up later to explain the rest.”

Willow and Glynda both nod. “We’ll meet you in the library?”

“Deal.”

“I’ll make the banner,” murmurs Summer.

-

“What in the entire Endless Woods is that?” Clover asks the second he steps into the studying room they chose to meet up in, pointing at the hideous banner hanging overhead. He can just barely read the letters GCABS.

Summer stands on the table with a grin, flinging her arms up. “Our group banner!”

“Which means what, exactly?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Summer groans as dramatically as she can. “G-C-A-B-S! Get Clover A Boyfriend Squad!”

Clover pauses, processing her words. And then says, “I hate you all.”

“Hey, it was Summer’s idea, not mine,” Tai laughs, raising his hands in surrender.

“I just got her the paint and let her do her thing,” says Fiona.

“In my defense, it was Summer that came up with it. Whether or not I helped her make that is irrelevant,” grins Robyn.

“Again. I hate you all.”

Willow shakes her head. “You would never.”

“He loves us too much and we all know it,” Robyn says.

Summer elbows her. “Please, we all know who he really loves~”

“Right,” Robyn agrees, mimicking her singsong tone. “Qro—”

“Okayokayokay that’s great now we’re moving on!” Clover interrupts, clapping his hand over his best friend’s mouth.

Robyn licks his hand.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he sighs, pulling his hand back.

“If it works, it works.”

Robyn and Clover shoot each other incredibly half-hearted glares until Fiona steps between them, forcing them both to sit down at the table. “Okay! Let’s just do what we came to do. We’ve gotta fill Willow and Glynda on the whole murder plot thing.”

Glynda frowns and pushes her glasses up, gaze flint sharp behind the lenses. Willow also seems more attentive, leaning forward and propping her chin up with her hand.

“So, if you remember, Clover’s one and only, his prince, the apple of his eye, the—oookay I get the hint I’ll stop now,” Robyn says, catching Clover’s look. “Anyway, I’m pretty sure we all know and love Qrow’s sister.

“Raven tricked us into being friends with her, used that to her advantage in the Trial and eventually turned on us and tried to kill us. Clover managed to beat her, but he still had one obstacle left. Luckily for him, Qrow was head over heels, and don’t you dare give me that look one more time because you _know_ it’s true, and he didn’t actually fight him, which probably saved his life. But now, there’s this whole murder plot that Raven plans to execute on the night of the Snow Ball, and apparently she’s _really_ powerful and Clover’s, well, kind of fu...dged.” Even if she doesn’t wither under Clover’s (weak) glare, she’s still scared enough of Glynda to carefully consider her word choice.

“You can say that again,” says Willow. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we fought the twins in the Trial. They’re extremely skilled with their weapons and talents, and besides, there’s also the stories about the Branwens’ ability to control fire. Which seems to be true. Even against one of them, it’s going to be a difficult fight.”

“That’s why we’re here,” says Fiona. “Qrow’s on our side too—he trained Clover for this, and promised to help when the day comes. Between all of us, we should be able to figure something out. Especially since he can just _get himself a boyfriend_ and _a bodyguard if he could just suck it up and ask Qrow out.”_

Glynda considers it for a moment. “Between Qrow and Clover, I’m sure they could easily defeat Raven even without our help. Which means…” She trails off, an evil grin on her face. “We need to make this the best Ball proposal anyone could ask for.”

The conversation stays on topic for about five minutes until it switches to focus on the Ball. Summer steers most of it, gleefully interrogating everyone on who they saw.

“James,” admits Glynda, and though she doesn’t sound the most pleased, she seems over the moon compared to Willow when she admits she saw Jacques.

“Qrow,” Clover says, to absolutely no one’s surprise. “I mean, that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

Robyn and Fiona’s answers are no surprise, of course, but when Summer asks Tai about his with a look of eager anticipation, he frowns.

“I’m not sure,” he sighs. “It was almost… foggy? All I know is they had dark hair.”

Summer, who had been ready to spill about her Ball date a few moments earlier, sinks into her chair. “Mine too,” she says, but everyone notices how she squirms in her chair. 

Everyone but Tai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: nice, nice, I have a few chapters written, when should I release the next chapter? I shouldn't post too soon bc I literally just posted one  
> ao3: you last posted on november 9  
> ao3: it is now december 2  
> me: it's  
> me: WHAT
> 
> ...yeah so anyway feel free to bully me in the comments, that would probably help me remember this time -_-;


	26. Raven Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: I do not presume to live up to the majesty of zuko alone i just liked how the title sounded. im so sleep deprived i just tried to spell that. tital  
> anyway. it's been almost 2 weeks wtf??? could've sworn its been like 3 days. is time even real anymore lmfao

Raven yanks her uniform over her head, holding her nose as she does. It doesn’t mask the stench, which has been brewing for, oh, the last three thousand years or so. She catches a glimpse of her old Evergirl uniform and grimaces, kicking it as far under her bed as she can. It’s too late. Cinder notices, snickering to herself as she brushes by Raven a little too hard and leaves the room.

“This is all your fault,” she says to the picture frame on her nightstand as if her brother is really there. It’s a nice picture, with Raven and Qrow standing next to each other, an arm wrapped around the other. Or, at least it _would_ be a nice picture if they weren’t digging their nails into each other’s sides almost hard enough to draw blood. But that’s just how siblings work.

Stupid Qrow and his tendency to fall on his ass _very loudly,_ the only downside to an otherwise perfect night. Because on that one incredibly awkward night right before they were given their sidekicks, Raven had gone back to Ozpin’s tower.

The tower had been deserted, suspiciously devoid of any School Master. Raven hadn’t wasted a second climbing through the window before she even paused to wonder if it was a trap. After a few moments of standing in tense silence, she had shrugged off her concerns and stalked to the center of the room where the Storian was.

The Storian had been writing away, lining a drawing that took up the entire left page. She wasn’t interested, at least not at first. At least not until she saw the subject of the drawing.

Raven stifles a grin at the thought, remembering the image of her in real time, standing over the Storian. Not Qrow. Not Cinder. No, the Storian had been focused on her.

_My very own fairytale_ , Raven grins with unrestrained glee before quickly dropping the smile. Once she realizes both of her roommates aren’t there, the smile returns. 

The realization hits her, plunging her into a lake of ice that drips from the chain around her neck and down her spine. She barely notices that her necklace is freezing to touch as she fumbles for the clasp, opening the locket with numb fingers. Where there was once blank space, she finds a single picture.

Qrow.

If what her mother says is true, then Qrow is her Nemesis.

Raven closes her fist around the locket, sliding it shut with one finger. She takes a deep breath, and slowly, the ice melts away. She waits, expecting to feel horror or regret or surprise. But nothing comes, almost as if some part of her has kept this one monumental truth buried in her for all of her life. She knows what she has to do, and the thought of it chills her to the bone.

She has to kill her brother.

Sighing, Raven releases her grip on the locket and stalks into the hallway, resisting the urge to clench her hands into fists. Phoebe was right all along, no matter how much Raven had tried to deny it. Their fighting sidekicks, Qrow’s shifty behavior, and the dreams that started after the Trial by Tale. Slowly, the puzzle pieces start to click together.

In the dining hall, Qrow breezes by without a word, sitting at the absolute corner of their table. Raven takes the opposite corner, keeping her eyes on her plate. Every inch of her is on high alert—that’s her Nemesis sitting with her, stuffing his face with mushy apple slices. (Okay, maybe that’s not the most intimidating thing in the world, but still.)

Raven walks to class alone, an increasingly common occurrence. Classes pass by in a flash, each one as boring as the next. Raven leaves for History of Villainy with about three words of notes total.

Surprisingly, History of Villainy is the only interesting class of the day. Professor Sader tells the story of a young Never who came to their school weak and only motivated by the expectations of her family. All things considered, she had been far from a candidate for the Storian’s fairy tales. 

“But then, the young Never was given a rare artifact from her family—unassuming golden jewelry. Unbeknownst to her, this was no ordinary gold. Her family had given her black swan gold, a metal that possesses the ability to turn its wearer to the darkest Evil they could be. Within weeks, the change was evident, and by the end of the school year, she was well on her way to becoming a famous fairytale villain.

“To her dismay, it was not to be. The Storian was still finishing Aesop’s Fables, and by the time she was on her fourth year quest, it had chosen a merman as its subject instead.” Professor Sader pauses, letting his words sink in. “I remind you, you do not have to be the top Never to have your tale told.”

Cinder looks at Raven with a smirk that tells her all she needs to know. Raven rolls her eyes, not bothering to return it this time. After all, _Cinder_ didn’t see her picture drawn in the Storian’s fairy tale.

After a dinner of fairly rancid mystery meat, Raven returns to her room and flops on her bed, fiddling with her locket. Her mother’s words ring through her mind. 

_Raven, one more thing before you go. Should you need help, I’ll be here to provide it. Don’t forget to just ask. You will not be alone._

Besides the revulsion Raven feels at the thought of asking her mother for anything, suspicion lingers in the memory. Why would Phoebe do anything for her, especially after what she had done all vacation?

Raven lets out the faintest of whimpers at the thought, unable to hide it from her roommates. Cinder stares at her like she’s waiting for her to burst, so Raven tries to collect herself to no avail. Her hands never stop shaking as phantom pain courses through her body.

Again comes that all too familiar thought. _This is all your fault, Qrow._

-

“Faster,” Phoebe barks, twirling her spear to block Omen as effortlessly as swatting a fly. Raven takes a step back, breathing in before rushing at her mother again. Sweat gleams on her brow as she races forward, faster this time, ducking under the spear and—

A black portal appears at her back with a loud, telling hiss, tendrils lashing out at her. Raven switches targets, eyes wide with panic, cutting through tendril after tendril. The portal shrinks, and just as she’s sure she’s won, the shaft of Phoebe’s spear slams into her back and sends her flying into the portal.

Raven reaches a hand out, dirt filling the space under her nails as she scrambles for a handhold. Nothing comes, and the portal sucks her in and closes completely. She finds herself in a black room, barely able to see her own hands. The space is eerily quiet, setting off loud alarm bells in Raven’s mind. Where is this?

With a start, she remembers when Qrow had been thrown into one of these portals. He had come out shaken, and it had taken him an entire week to be able to describe what had happened.

Phoebe’s talent is a pocket dimension, one that only she can open. Alone, it would be harmless, if it weren’t for the strange darkness it’s made of. According to Qrow, the tendrils that dragged him in didn’t release him once he was inside, instead starting to glow a malevolent red.

On cue, the space around Raven turns a hint warmer. She reaches out a hand and tries to make a small flame, but nothing appears, not even a spark. Raven tries again, but the familiar power coursing through her veins is nowhere to be found. Her portals don’t work either, and by the time she’s finished experimenting, the walls have started closing in.

As if struck by lightning, the room lights up, tendrils flaring to life. Raven dodges them at first, but there’s far too many to avoid. Darkness wraps around her wrists, her ankles, her chest, squeezing half the air from her lungs. 

And then she finally understands why Qrow refused to speak about it.

Agony shoots through her like a thousand knives digging into her skin, twisting and twisting and burning as they continue on their path. Raven opens her mouth and screams, but there’s no sound in this void, just the fire running through her skin, foreign and invasive and angry. She screams herself raw, never hearing a single thing.

Finally, as she accepts that she might as well die here, the red fades back to black and all the pain disappears.

Raven takes one staggering step into the void, then another. And collapses.

-

Shaking off the memory, Raven forces her hands to stop shaking under the watchful eyes of her roommates. Those few days that Qrow had been gone seducing his prince, (or whatever he was doing there, seeing as she hadn’t bothered to ask for details) Phoebe treated her like the dirt they walked on. She treated her like, well, Qrow.

“pAiN mAkEs YoU sTrOnGeR,” Raven mimics in a high-pitched imitation of her mother’s voice. Her giggles cut through the silence in the dorm room as Cinder and Eve stare at her in absolute confusion.

Cinder throws her book at her. “Do you _mind?_ ” She snaps. “Some of us are actually trying to work.”

“As a matter of fact, I _do_ mind,” Raven retorts. “Mind your own business.”

Although Cinder turns away with a snort, Eve keeps staring at her. “Is something wrong, Raven?” Eve asks after a long pause.

“No,” Raven says. Her voice cracks, and she winces. “I mean, no.” This time, she tries for more confidence, but Eve sees right through her.

As if she’s never said such a thing before (and Raven wouldn’t be surprised if she hasn’t), Eve mutters, “Would you like to talk about it?”

“As if I’d tell you anything,” Raven growls.

Throwing her hands in the air, Cinder gathers up her books and stomps out the door.

Eve watches her go, cool gazes following her until the door slams shut. “Good riddance,” she says at last, returning to her book.

Raven stifles a laugh, turning her back to Eve as she tries to get her shaking under control. Her resolve crumbles faster than she can blink, and she turns back to her roommate. “Eve, can I ask you something?”

No response. Not exactly a yes, but not a no either.

“Hypothetically, if your Nemesis was someone close to you, would you be able to kill them? Hypothetically.”

“ _Hypothetically,_ ” Eve imitates, “I would, without the slightest hesitation. You of all people should be able to make such a sacrifice. They’re your fated enemy, Raven. No matter who they are, there is no reason to keep them alive. Doing so can only prolong your suffering.”

“Not helpful,” Raven groans, flopping over to smash her face into her pillow. “Of _course_ you would say that. You’re a literal zombie when it comes to emotion.”

“I gave you my honest answer,” comes Eve’s calm response. “It’s not my fault that it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.”

Raven waves a hand in the air. “Enlighten me, o great one. What _did_ I want to hear?”

“I can’t answer that,” Eve says. “Only you can. So let me ask you something. If your brother was on his knees before you and your blade was to his throat, would you be able to do it? Would you be able to land the finishing blow? _Would you kill your own brother?_ ”

Raven stills, not bothering to question why Eve knows who she’s talking about. She summons all her resolve, feeling it form a cold pit in her stomach. “I would,” she says.

Eve stands up, quietly shutting her book. “Are you sure?”

Raven hesitates, one second lasting an eternity. She steels herself and says with all the confidence she can muster, “I’m sure.”

Making her way to the door, Eve opens it and steps into the hallway. “Then why did you hesitate?”

The door shuts behind her.

Raven smashes her face into her pillow harder than before, but when the first tear trickles down her cheek, she knows it’s not from the impact alone. Eve, she decides, should never be asked for advice. If only she had Qrow right now.

What a cruel twist of fate. Her one ally in this mess now her worst enemy, leaving her alone. 

_You will not be alone_ , says her mother’s voice.

No, not alone. Not yet.

Not bothering to look at her homework, Raven lets herself drift off to sleep.

-

She can hide from Qrow when she’s awake, but the second her eyes shut, his face haunts her dreams. Raven runs through a dark forest, vines and brambles tugging at her feet as she pants, forcing her already burning feet to keep going. Behind her, the bushes part for a shadowy figure that chases after her, slowly gaining.

Raven bursts out into a clearing, falling to her knees and gasping for breath. Slowly, she looks up to find a golden throne, its bright gleam cutting through the mist. And on the throne…

“I’ve been waiting for you, Rae,” says her brother. He lounges on the throne in the least regal way possible, back against the armrest and one leg propped up on the other. Somehow, it fits. A crown gleams on his head, decorated with jewels that look like they’re worth more than the entire manor. 

Scrambling to her feet, Raven snatches a nearby branch and raises it, ready for his attack. “Waiting to kill me, I suppose?”

“Maybe,” he smirks, slowly getting to his feet. He stalks towards her, and Raven takes a step back, trembling. She looks back at her makeshift weapon to find that it’s turned into Omen, blade polished and sharp.

Qrow slides past her, sending her an all-too confident grin. She doesn’t want to hurt him and he knows it. Raven turns so she’s always facing him, finding him standing with someone else.

His back to her, Qrow moves closer to the blurry figure, turning his head to smirk lazily at her. “Isn’t this the perfect opportunity? I’m here, and I’m not fighting back. Why don’t you kill me now?”

Raven steels herself, raises Omen, and swings.

Her blade hits metal and stops an inch from Qrow’s throat. Raven’s eyes widen at the sight of a sword emblazoned with a large E blocking her attack. The figure behind Qrow has one arm wrapped around him now, the other holding the sword that’s blocking hers.

“Right,” Qrow laughs. “You _can’t._ Although I guess I should commend you for your effort. At least you tried.” He uses two fingers to turn the blurry prince’s head towards him, the movement slow and deliberate. The two stare at each other for a moment.

They turn their gazes on Raven as one. Qrow nods his permission, and the prince steps forward and stabs her through the heart.

Ice so cold it burns spreads through her, stiffening her body as it moves. Raven lets out a choked gasp, then another, as blood fills her mouth and consumes her senses.

-

Raven wakes with a stream of tears drying on her cheeks. She takes a deep breath and sits up, staring into the gloom. There’s no going back to sleep, not with Cinder’s snoring. Sending a weak glare at Eve, Raven gestures to a now-awake Maeryn, and they leave the room together.

“What do I do?” She asks her sidekick. Maeryn can only shake her head in response.

The thought passes through her mind, light and fleeting. _Summer and Tai would have listened, back when you were friends._

Raven squashes the thought and continues through the dark corridors, unsure of where she is in the school. She turns corner after corner, climbs staircase after staircase, and finds herself in the Library of Vice. A single student sits in the corner, their face obscured by the shadows.

Lifting his only candle so it illuminates his face, Qrow asks, “Rae?” He scans her face, finding the tear tracks in an instant. “What’s going on? Are you—”

“Stay _away_ from me!” Raven shouts, turning away from him. She opens a random portal and lunges through it, leaving him confused and lost behind her.

Raven and Maeryn emerge on a beach of sparkling sand. It only takes a second to recognize it as the School for Good. Once she’s sure that no magical wave is going to sweep her back to her dorm, or worse, back to the library, she collapses on the sand and starts furiously wiping the tears away.

Maeryn does her best to help, licking Raven’s cheek, but it’s not much comfort. Raven takes a few minutes to compose herself, her violent tremors reduced to the slightest of shivers.

That’s when Maeryn’s head snaps to the side and she growls, bounding forward. A loud shriek comes from the bushes, and Maeryn reappears holding a familiar bunny in her jaws. Taffy, Summer’s sidekick.

Snarling, Raven summons Omen and points it at the sidekick, which curls up in fear as it waits for the blow. Taffy stares back at her with pleading eyes, limp in Maeryn’s grasp.

Raven drops Omen back into the portal. “Let it go.”

Glancing at her in surprise, Maeryn reluctantly lowers her head and releases Taffy. Taffy shoots off into the bushes again, vanishing from sight.

“Stupid!” Raven berates herself, slapping her forehead. “If you can’t even kill a damn rabbit, how are you going to kill—” She breaks off mid-sentence, remembering where she is. There’s no telling who can hear her in Good, and she doesn’t want to find out.

Maeryn nudges her leg with a wet nose. _Let’s leave_ , she seems to say.

Raven summons all her strength with a shaking hand and opens another portal. She hesitates before stepping into it, landing back in her dorm.

After a few minutes of dusting the sand off her clothes, Raven curls up in bed again, praying for sleep that won’t come. Maeryn snuggles next to her and starts snoring immediately, and although her paws are getting sand everywhere, Raven can’t find it in her to care.

Forcing her eyes shut, Raven lets the darkness overtake her.

-

Across the bay, Summer stands on unsteady legs and gathers Taffy in her arms. She sends a long glance towards the School for Evil before turning and sprinting back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya girl needs to say something she should have said a long time ago but forgot to because she has zero braincells
> 
> you may be wondering who the fuck eve silver is and why i cant stop mentioning her. u see, that's because she's from my friend's amazing fic, threading the needle of destiny. to this very day it hurts my heart. aaand you can read it here :D  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/20353327/chapters/48262228
> 
> I hate how much random information i have for this goddamn au. i dare you. give me a day of the week and choose breakfast, lunch or dinner and i will tell you from my fucking memory what the school for good serves for that meal. ask me what their supply lists were. ask me to list as many doom room punishments as i can from memory. i fuckin got it all in this teeny little brain of mine
> 
> one more fun fact: the fall trial by tale is december 15, so just remember as you go about your tuesday that that's the day the gay began 
> 
> wow!! guess what!!! the end notes are not over because I wrote them on dec 14 but it's now dec 15 cause ya girl is writing an essay at the speed of gay. um anyway this is not my best chapter. lets be honest none of them are but thats ✨irrelevant✨ because I really wanted to get an update out  
> so uh anyway hope you enjoyed despite the fishfuck energy, and I hope yall have a good day (this is aimed at you motherfuckers who said you were having a bad day. mood. and ily <3)
> 
> one more note i fell asleep at my desk and forgot to hit post like a dumbass gm yall
> 
> one more note its night now gn yall might not even be tuesday anymore for most of you


	27. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay I'll admit that the chapter title exists ONLY so I can put the word gay in front of it.
> 
> anyway no idea what's in this one but enjoy! :D

Someone kneels in front of Qrow, their face obscured by a milky white mist. They raise their sword, and for a split second, Qrow assumes this is a Nemesis Dream. That is, until they lay the sword on the ground and hold out their hand.

A half-disembodied voice echoes around the area, too warped for him to recognize it. “Qrow of Netherwood, will you be my prince for the Ball?”

Qrow barely has the time to think wait, _what_ before his eyes snap open and he finds himself back in his dorm. Sighing, he pushes his bangs out of his eyes and glances around to see if his roommates are awake. When no one moves, he sits up and rubs his eyes. 

That dream just then… It almost resembled the stories he would read about Evers finding their true loves, and how they would dream of them before the Snow Ball. Which was stupid, because Qrow was a Never and not at all welcome at the Snow Ball, and because Clover—

Slapping himself in the face with far more force than necessary, Qrow shakes his head. Clover Ebi spends enough time in his thoughts, and now he’s showing up in his dreams. Brilliant. 

_You have_ no _chance with him,_ he reminds himself. _So stop overthinking and definitely do not think about his eyes and his- nope nope nope nope…_

With another sigh, Qrow stands up, pulls his cape on, and leaves the room, trying to keep his cheeks from burning. He really needs to take a walk.

-

As usual, Qrow ignores his own advice the second he sees Clover again. Lunch is almost over when he catches a glimpse of the green-eyed Ever lingering behind his friends, and if Qrow’s imagination isn’t playing tricks on him again, Clover just looked over at him.

Qrow doesn’t waste a second, punting his textbook across the boundary and hurrying over to retrieve it. He’s halfway to Clover before he realizes that kicking a book across the Clearing was probably not the most subtle of moves. It’s too late to turn back now, so Qrow has no choice but to suck it up and keep walking.

He’s intercepted by a blur of motion before he takes three more steps, stumbling back to recognize Summer. “Give me three seconds of your time before you talk to your boyfriend,” she blurts. Ignoring his facial expression, she continues, “Listen, I know your sister can be difficult at best and downright Evil at worst, but please, _please_ just watch out for her, okay? She’s not as bad as you think.”

“Are we talking about the same person?”

Summer sighs. “Look, I don’t think Raven’s a horrible person. She’s just… misguided, okay? Somewhere deep down, there’s good in her. She’s like you!”

“All right,” Qrow frowns. “But I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that last part.”

Without another word, Summer shoves two bags of cookies into his hands (one is labeled with FOR RAVEN in messy handwriting) and takes a step back, bowing dramatically to let Clover pass by. Her knowing smirk is enough to make his entire face light on fire.

(One of these days, he’s going to combust. Fire and explosions and all.)

“Qrow!” Clover calls as he approaches, a grin lighting up his stupidly handsome face. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Qrow raises an eyebrow, fighting to keep himself from smiling like a gods-damned idiot. “It’s literally been two days, lucky charm.”

“What’s your point? It felt like forever,” Clover retorts with a wink. 

_Gods he did not just say that nO HE DID NOT_ , screams Qrow’s last braincell. He laughs it off, hoping his face isn’t too red. “Um. Anyway, I was just checking in. Have you managed to find yourself a date for the Snow Ball yet?”

Robyn chokes on her tea.

Clover takes a deep breath as if preparing himself for something. “Yeah, about that… I was wondering if you would—”

Summer lets out a squeak of excitement so loud that Jeff leaps off Tai’s lap, flames spewing from his beak. Poor Lucky’s tail sets on fire, and he spirals into Rael, thus ending the conversation as Clover hurries over to help his sidekick.

Qrow stands frozen for a few seconds before his brain catches up. Glancing around, he finds no one left in the Clearing, so he snaps his fingers. The flame dissipates instantly, and Lucky flops dramatically onto the ground.

“Thanks,” Clover pants, his hair now dripping wet from a badly aimed teacup. Qrow itches to reach up and push Clover’s hair out of his eyes, but barely keeps himself from doing so. “That could have been bad.”

“Sure,” Qrow shrugs. “What were you saying before, though?”

Clover glances back at his friends for a split second, fidgeting nervously with his sleeve buttons. “Uh… nothing important.”

“Nothing important, my ass,” Qrow mutters under his breath, but he doesn’t want to make Clover late for class. “If you say so.”

They exchange quick goodbyes before Qrow hurries off, holding the two bags of cookies in one hand. 

Unsurprisingly, he finds Raven in the library, frantically writing her Curses and Death Traps homework. Qrow hesitates before approaching, but in the end, it’s the cookies and the cookies alone that make him walk up to her.

“Rae,” Qrow says, clearing his throat. The way she looks up at him is unfamiliar, as if he’s no more than a random acquaintance. They haven’t been this tense since, well, ever. “Summer wanted me to give you these.” He passes her the bag.

Raven takes it after a brief pause, cautiously opening the bag and peering inside. “What kind of horrible poisoning attempt is this?” She asks at last.

“Poisoning attempt?” Qrow repeats. “You think Summer would _poison you?”_

“It’s something I would do,” Raven shrugs. “Either way, I don’t want them. You can eat them if you want.”

“Not a chance. You didn’t eat lunch or breakfast today, so I’m not leaving until I see you eat at least half of those.”

“Damn you, Qrow,” Raven growls, but she snarfs down the entire bag all the same.

When she’s done, Qrow prepares to leave. Raven doesn’t bother to watch him go, at least not until he turns around. “Rae,” he says, trying to keep his voice neutral, “If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me.”

She doesn’t respond, looking away again. Qrow takes that as his sign to get out before she sets him on fire.

_There you go, Summer. Happy now?_

-

One of the many unspoken rules of the School for Evil is that knocking is for losers. That’s the reason why Qrow always sits with his face to the door, just in case someone surprises him while he’s reading the one romance novel he owns. And that’s the reason why he’s surprised when someone knocks on the door of Mischief 13 _just_ when he’s about to get to the good part of the story.

But the most surprising thing of all is who shows up when he finishes hiding his book and opens the door. His sister stands in the hallway, arms crossed around her body like she’s trying to give herself a hug. 

“Uh, hey,” Raven says in the least confident tone he’s ever heard. “Can we talk?”

Qrow considers pretending to deliberate, but he isn’t _that_ Evil. He just nods and steps aside, allowing her to enter. “What is it?”

“Winter break.” Raven meets his eyes, a sort of hollow fear in her red irises. “While you were gone, she… you know her Talent, right?”

He nods solemnly, a sinking feeling in his gut. Wherever this is going, it can’t be good.

“Yeah,” Raven says simply, and he understands it all anyway.

“I’m sorry.” There’s nothing else he can say, not when it comes to this. 

Raven fidgets with her gloves, dropping her gaze again. It takes a while for her to speak again. “Qrow, are you with me?”

“What? Of course—”

She grabs his shoulders and gives him a light shake. “Are you really, truly with me? Are you sure?”

Qrow looks her dead in the eyes, takes a deep breath, and lies like he has a thousand times before. “Yes.”

Raven releases his shoulders with shaking hands. He can see the skepticism in her expression, but it’s overshadowed by the wild desperation that burns in every line of her face. It’s the look of someone who wants with all of their heart to believe him, and he knows the feeling. He saw the same expression in the mirror for seventeen years, trying desperately to believe that he’d be okay someday.

Going to the School for Evil was supposed to be his long-awaited escape. Instead, he ended up with more problems than he’d had before. Gods, he wasn’t expecting to win the Trial, he didn’t think he’d still have family issues, and he certainly hadn’t anticipated falling for an Everboy with the most brilliant smile he’d ever seen.

All in all, things aren’t going so great.

When he snaps out of his train of thought, Raven is already gone. In her place, he finds what he assumes is a messy feather, but on further inspection, it’s a clump of her hair. He makes a face at first, but pales to ghost-white when he realizes what it means.

Symptoms of Nemesis Dreams. Her eyes are red as can be, and yet, the symptoms are progressing to what’s expected of Nevers on the verge of fighting their Nemesis. Who knows? Maybe she’ll start sprouting warts next.

As Qrow tosses the hair in the trash and climbs into bed, pulling out his book again, he registers one final detail.

For the first time in days, she wasn’t wearing her necklace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bruh im so sorry ive had this ready for a month now and I never posted it
> 
> what's kind of nice is that we're coming close to the date where the events take place, which means I might post a chapter on the date it supposedly happened. like... what if I posted the snow ball on valentine's day? and possibly the circus of talents on the 13th?
> 
> who knows


End file.
